Smurfit Westrock

Coop reliability engineer

May - August 2023 • Pittsview, AL

What I liked

I like how everyone was very friendly and was willing to help.

What I wish was different

There really isn’t anything i would change. I injoyed every project I worked on and people I was working with. I learned more than I could image and I’m excited to return for the next Co-op semester.

Advice

Don’t be scared to ask questions. The company wants you to understand what is happening.

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Chemical Process Engineer

May - August 2024 • Stroudsburg, PA

What I liked

- Great work environment - Great opportunities to gain hands-on experience with the whole (recycled) paper making process -Experience with all levels of mill management

What I wish was different

- Main projects having more focus on improving the paper making process directly (Assigned primary projects assisted indirectly in the process)

Advice

Your internship is what you choose to make of it, choosing to get involved in whatever you're able to will make your internship exceedingly more valuable and enjoyable. Having the courage to take the step to involve yourself in things is very important.

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Finance Intern

May - August 2024 • Atlanta, GA

What I liked

- Worked on a variety of day to day activities and summer-long projects - Got to participate in budgeting process that allowed for interaction with senior leaders outside of my team - Improved my excel skills and built relationships with a large network of people in the company - Internship was during merger between two Fortune 500 Companies

What I wish was different

Less company-wide corporate meetings that doesn't apply to lower level employees as much

Advice

Take advantage of any team member that is willing to get coffee or eat lunch with you to pick their brains.

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engineering intern

May - August 2023 • Plymouth, IN

What I liked

I liked that me and my partner were able to have free reign on how we decided to complete our task and were able to work independently and not be constantly observed.

What I wish was different

I wish that my own experience had been more engineering based since me and my partner were tasked with organizing the parts crib.

Advice

Make the best out of your internship and talk to everyone around you and learn from their experiences.

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Business analyst support intern

May - December 2022 • Atlanta, GA

What I liked

The work culture and company values

What I wish was different

Nothing really. You are given the ability to work freely without having to be managed and in teams when needed. Empowerment is part of their culture.

Advice

Being adaptable and having a problem solving mindset is key.

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Process Engineer

May - August 2021 • Covington, VA

What I liked

The working environment is good for young engineers to gain lots of experience with various parts of the mill.

What I wish was different

I had been give more work and projects.

Advice

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Process Engineer Intern

August 2018 • Cottonton, AL

What I liked

I was continually challenged to critically think.

What I wish was different

I would like to have changed roles for different co-op terms so that I had a rounded experience at the paper plant.

Advice

Use your social skills! Take the time to make connections with supervisors and work on your professionalism. Also hard work and determination to do the right thing goes a long way.

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Fiber Coordinator

February 2020 • Norcross, GA

What I liked

Really good communication.

What I wish was different

Room to grow.

Advice

Great experience for someone straight out of school, and no experience in the work force yet. Really great company and I think room to grow if you want to wait long term.

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Graphic Design Intern

May - August 2019 • Chattanooga, TN

What I liked

Learned a lot of skills and new programs I haven’t been exposed to in the classroom.

What I wish was different

Wish I had been more prepared for the type of work I would be doing.

Advice

Be open to trying and failing as you learn new programs, people who have been through it will be patient.

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Project Engineering Co-Op

August 2019 • Demopolis, AL

What I liked

I liked being able to see the inworkings of the engineering process on a day to day basis.

What I wish was different

Nothing, I loved my experience.

Advice

Take a gung-ho attitude with you.

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Associate Reliability Engineer Co-op

June 2019 • Evadale, TX

What I liked

Great experience and pay!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Engineering Co-op

May - August 2019 • Demopolis, AL

What I liked

It was a great work environment. Everyone in the department worked together to get the jobs done. The mill environment is a great place to learn and it has all different kinds of engineering disciplines to be exposed to and work with.

What I wish was different

I wish there was a better hands on training program when the co-op started.

Advice

You can make anything you want out of this opportunity. If you work hard, you will be given as much responsibility as you can handle.

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Assembler (Manufacturing)

June - August 2019 • Forest City, NC

What I liked

The money

What I wish was different

The pay

Advice

Get comfortable shoes

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Graphic Design Intern

May - August 2019 • Chattanooga, TN

What I liked

I got to learn new design softwares I would’ve never been exposed to in class and work with big brands on real projects.

What I wish was different

I wish I would’ve had more training in before I was thrown into big projects. I think my work would’ve been better because I would’ve felt more confident about it.

Advice

Be open to any opportunity that emerges. I didn’t think this would be something I would greatly enjoy or that was really in line with my major/career path. Although I was working in a niche of graphic design I probably won’t follow in my future, the experience was so beneficial and gave me specific skills that set me apart from others.

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Internal Audit Intern

May 2019 • Atlanta, GA

What I liked

Flexible Hours Great Experience Travel Kind Co-workers

What I wish was different

It was perfect.

Advice

Ask questions in every meeting and show you want to learn.

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Mechanical Engineering Intern

May - August 2019 • Norcross, GA

What I liked

I loved that they gave me responsibility to make real changes to the plant in order to improve workflow. They assigned a project to me with the expectation of receiving a plan and then implementation. They were paying me to make improvements, and I needed to justify my presence there and my salary. It may sound harsh, but in my opinion, that's the expectation of every job.

What I wish was different

This is not something that can be controlled, but there was a manager who worked there who was the largest knowledge base for the system they used. Unfortunately, she was on a training trip for the first half of my time there. As a result, I had no basis of information when learning how to use the system and generate reports.

Advice

I've seen other people review their experiences working at this particular plant. Some of them said that they spent their summer doing nothing. If they did nothing, it's because they didn't want to do anything. I finished my assigned project early, so I proposed another. In my time there, I completed two projects. The experience is what you make of it. If you are not feeling challenged, then take initiative and seek out other opportunities for improvement.

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Environmental Intern

May - August 2019 • West Point, VA

What I liked

The professional community. Everybody wanted you to be there and to work hard. Everyone was kind and cared about developing a professional relationship with you.

What I wish was different

I wish I knew from the beginning that it was okay to take a minute every now and then to talk to people, so I could develop my network.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask questions about past interns and their experiences working with them and their expectations of you.

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Physics Research Intern

May 2018 • Richmond, VA

What I liked

Great network of researchers. I felt my work mattered and was encouraged to take initiative in performing new research.

What I wish was different

IT was often problematic. Lots of computer struggles.

Advice

Learn about paper! Take initiative in building relationships outside your team. Take advantage of all the expertise an resources available.

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Mechanical Engineer

January - September 2018 • Tacoma, WA

What I liked

I was able to attend an early career development summit in Virginia through Westrock. It was my first “business trip” and I learned a lot from it.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Power & Recovery Co-op

May 2018 • Hopewell, VA

What I liked

I like getting to work side by side with operators. They have years of experience and there is alot of opportunities to learn from them.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been a packet for co-ops and interns that was an introduction to the paper mill. It took awihle to understand how the cycle related.

Advice

Google and youtube are your friend. If you dont understand something, ask questions, look it up, watch videos about it. It will really help you get more involved in the process.

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