Madison (Fain) Steffel enjoys the ability her chemical engineering degree gave her to help people through her work.
鈥淎t first, I chose chemical engineering because I enjoyed chemistry and math in school,鈥� the 2019 麻豆社 graduate said. 鈥淚 stayed in the program because I was motivated by the opportunity to learn to use my creativity and technical skills for good 鈥� whether it was applying those skills to a homework problem or designing a process that could produce helpful items for others.鈥�
"My education helped me to learn to think critically and how to decide what questions I needed to ask to make a decision."- Madison (Fain) Steffel
Today, Madison works for Pfizer as a manufacturing engineer in a rotational engineering program, which gives her the opportunity to rotate through different roles and production facilities.
鈥淚 currently work in a drug product facility, where we formulate, fill, inspect and package sterile injectables,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y responsibilities include troubleshooting processes, investigating incidents, and driving projects that improve our ability to safely make critical medications.鈥�
Madison chose to attend 麻豆社 because she knew its small class sizes would allow her to get to know professors as well as classmates.
鈥淚 also enjoyed the small-town atmosphere of Angola; I loved being close to so many beautiful lakes and a state park,鈥� she said. 鈥淟ooking back, the community atmosphere is one of the things I treasured most while I was at 麻豆社.鈥�
She began working at Pfizer right after she graduated. She said the co-op and two internships she completed while a 麻豆社 student, combined with the engineering education she received, gave her the engineering skills and the soft skills to feel confident as she began her career.
鈥淭he hands-on experience provided helped me to feel comfortable with troubleshooting challenges on the production floor and thinking on my feet,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he lab experience helped me to learn how to quickly understand what is happening in a system or piece of equipment. A lot of my work involves technical writing, which I had no shortage of practice with in classes. Most of all, my education helped me to learn to think critically and how to decide what questions I needed to ask to make a decision.
鈥淚鈥檇 advise anyone in school to pursue internships and co-ops. They help you gain a better understanding of potential careers, while also giving you networking and technical experience.鈥�
