Page 19 - CSLA_AnnualPublication

CATCHING UP WITH YOUNG ALUMNIDREAM JOB BECKONS FROM HALFWAY ACROSS THE COUNTRYWhen she decided to join the EcoCAR 2 project, converting a Chevy Malibu into a plug-in hybrid, Yessenia Toscano (’14 B.S. ME) thought it would be a great way to apply her knowledge and enhance her skills in mechanical and manufacturing engineering. Little did she know that it would land her a dream job more than 2,000 miles from California.Now an engineer with General Motors (GM) and working in Michigan, Toscano is excited about her current project—designing next-generation Camaro seats—as well as her future prospects.“With GM I can have my entire professional career within a single company. The company supports you and offers a variety of programs that facilitate going back to school to pursue advanced degrees,” she says.” I have met so many people at GM who have told me they have had about 10 different jobs, all within GM. That’s really unusual and something that intrigues me as I develop my career.”While this transition has brought some challenges, Toscano naturally looks at the bright side of her new adventure. “I can’t call my favorite Mexican place to place a food order and then pick it up or visit my family and hang out,” she says, “but that has given me more of a reason to go out and explore. This winter I plan to try skiing. I always wanted to learn, but never had the opportunity until now.”INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE PROVES PIVOTAL FOR YOUNG FLIGHT SYSTEM ENGINEERNow that he is working as a light systems development engineer, Jeremy Blaire (’14 B.S. EE) credits his undergraduate internship experience at Aerojet Rocketdyne as a pivotal point in realizing his career aspirations.“My summer internship led to a year-long senior design project that exposed me to the tools most frequently used in this industry,” he says. “That experience at Aerojet/Rocketdyne also prepared me for a career because I was able to apply my knowledge to a realistic project, in a real-world time frame.”Blair uses those skill sets in his job with Millennium Space Systems, which designs affordable, high-performance satellites for government and commercial clients. He automates light software tests and is currently working on a subsystem fora satellite — activities that give him great job satisfaction.“I have the opportunity to be creative every day, as well as set my own work schedule and goals,” he says. “I get to work with peers who share my interests and share my type of drive. This is a great it for me.”Yessenia Toscano ( ’14 B.S. ME) inds job fulillment and adventure as a design engineer for GM.Jeremy Blaire ( ’14 B.S. EE) applies what he learned in electrical engineering at Cal State L.A. inhis job developing light systems for satellites.InSights | 17