Chevron Engineers Share Career Insights with Perimeter Engineering Students

CLARKSTON, Ga.--Danielle Scordo is a Perimeter College engineering student who is studying large language models in the power utilities industry. Her aim is to preserve industry knowledge from professionals retiring from the workforce.

Min Khant Zaw is researching how robotics can help farmers measure enough fertilizer both for nutrient soil absorption and to prevent excess runoff.

Both students sharing their current research were among 15 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) scholars meeting with Chevron engineers recently. The company engineers came to the Clarkston Campus to share their personal job insights about their own career paths with the students. During the two-hour program, the engineers also answered student questions about their profession and reviewed their prepared resumes.

This is the fifth year Chevron has supported Perimeter College students with scholarships. This fall, the company expanded their financial support for students, awarding 19 $1,000 scholarships for students in STEM fields.

The corporation also financially supports Perimeter students attending the National Society of Black Engineers Conference, the Society of Women in Engineering annual conference and undergraduate research experiences.

The engineers shared their experiences working in the field with the students. Rachel Puechner, a 2015 Georgia Tech chemical engineering grad, talked about her work at Chevron decommissioning oil wells across the country. Kristina Sanclemente, a mechanical engineer and also a Georgia Tech grad, spoke about her experience in  Argentina on oil rigs. And Changuoo Park, a chemical and biochemical engineer, spoke about checking for corrosion and defects in oil pipes across the West.

For students like Haneen Ahmed, meeting the Chevron engineers was a great opportunity to get an inside view of the variety of engineering jobs.

“My impression of the Chevron engineers was that they were all motivated to be there, and they seemed like they had a great work-life balance. I gained a lot of insight into what it means to be an engineer and the roles that different types of engineering play at Chevron. It was overall a wonderful experience,” she said.

Ahmed is interested in pursuing a career in mechanical engineering. She’s currently president of the college’s Women in STEM Experience (WISE) club.

Introducing students to young professionals active in the engineering field is crucial to helping them understand the breadth of the profession, said Dr. Sahithya Reddivari, Perimeter’s assistant chair of computer science and engineering.

“Chevron is one of our model partnerships and an example of the next level of engagement for our students,” said Reddivari.

“This is what our students need--professionals within the industry who come and speak to our students about their own experiences in the field. It changes our students’ perspectives on themselves and their own career aspirations.”