Where did life lead you after high school?
I started my undergrad at UW-Platteville the fall of 2019 pursuing an engineering degree. I started off as a Mechanical Engineer major but through my engineering electives my first couple of semesters, I got a better understanding of the type of work each branch of engineering would look like in the workforce. This ultimately led me to switch majors from Mechanical Engineering to Industrial Engineering. This was ultimately a better fit for me and for the type of work I was looking to get into based on previous internships.
What are you doing now?
During my last summer internship before I graduated, I was offered a full-time position at Modine Manufacturing as a Test Engineer. Here I oversee one of the laboratories in Tech Center dedicated to test heat exchangers in various systems.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on building my experience here at Modine and maybe in a couple years go back to school and get an MBA degree.
How did your high school experience help prepare you for your future?
Most of my high school classes prepared me for the type of course work I was going to receive in college, especially all the AP classes and TechEd classes. Math and science are crucial, especially if you are going to be a STEM major so luckily I felt prepared after taking most of the math and science classes offered at Park. I also received a minor in college for Technical Drafting which I don’t think would have been possible if I wasn’t introduced to CAD in high school. Park had great intro classes for engineering that started building my skill set before I even started college.
My Youth Apprenticeship was without a doubt the biggest factor in preparing me for my future. I can confidently say, I would not have landed the job I have right now if it weren’t for my apprenticeship. Modine along with other companies, value young students that want to learn and bring innovative ideas. College was obviously a big part of my journey, but most of my skill set and hands-on experience came from my apprenticeship and internships.
Learn more about Karla here: From First-Generation Student to UW-Platteville Engineer