Nicholas Rivera, a senior in nuclear, plasma, and radiological engineering, spent two weeks of his summer on the annual trip to China for the Hoeft Technology and Management minor, a program that integrates engineering and business to solve real-world problems. He traveled to Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, and Nanjing and visited 16 companies. Some were American companies with operations in China, others were based in China.

“It was my first international experience, and it was amazing, especially since I didn’t have a passport before this past year.”

The trip inspired him to look for future international opportunities and also gave him an outlook on life in the U.S. “We’re so used to seeing many different people here in the U.S, and I think we take it for granted. But in China, the diversity isn’t as great. I appreciated that experience,” he said.

Nicholas and his classmates

Exelon Experience

After his trip to China, Nicholas began his internship at Exelon Nuclear where he was a reactor engineering intern. He dealt with software that helped model reactor power and predict the amount of chemicals to maintain a desired power level. “I was able to put classroom knowledge to use, participating in weekly surveillances and performing calculations that I had learned in class,” he said.

Nicholas said that it was a great industry experience where he had the opportunity to do almost everything a full-time reactor engineer would, except sign off on any decisions.

He was able to work at Exelon by consistently visiting corporate representatives when they were on campus. Though he wasn’t offered a position right away, a spot opened up later, and the representatives remembered him.

To round out his summer, Nicholas returned to campus to help with freshman orientation for the Morrill Engineering Program, which supports minority engineers, like himself, with their academics and career planning.

Nicholas is the first student to combine a Nuclear Engineering major with a Technology and Management minor. He believes his professional versatility will be worth it in his job search.

After graduation this May, he hopes to find a career in which he can flex his business muscles.

Advice on Summer Activities for Future Engineering Students

Nicholas finds that freshman engineering students have opportunities to work on research, especially during the summer, where they can collaborate with a professor.

“These are opportunities where you can get experience and skills in the lab as a freshman and then have something to talk about with a company when you’re a sophomore.”

He recommends going to the Engineering Career Fair as a freshman to learn about internships and to remain realistic about the experiences needed in order to obtain one as an upperclassmen. He said to keep research in mind as it helps you to be identified as a leader in your department and you’ll learn more skills in your major. “It’s also an opportunity to make some money over the summer, and who can complain about that?” said Nicholas.