“You only get out of education what you put into it,” says Adam Christopher Austin ’11. “If you can make yourself indispensable to a company during an internship, they may want to make your position permanent.”
Austin just completed his first internship in the commercial sales and marketing department of Taco Inc., an industry leader in hydronic systems for residential and commercial buildings, headquartered in Cranston, R.I. He’s been invited back for a second internship in their engineering department in the fall.
It began in January when Austin, an engineering design and configuration management major, stepped into the Technology Career Fair. His experiential education coordinator, Trudy Michaud, excitedly informed him of an internship that would suit his background. She introduced Austin to Nan Quinlan, Taco’s training and development manager. He talked about his JWU major, his experience and his associate degree in mechanical engineering technology from the Community College of Rhode Island.
For five years Austin worked at Chemical Systems Services Inc. in Attleboro, Mass. Starting as a plastic and metal welder constructing heat transfer and pumping packages, he graduated to draftsman designer, taking his knowledge from building packages to designing them. “I had a great deal of experience with Taco products and their distributors. When I mentioned this, Nan Quinlan immediately handed me her card, and requested my résumé,” Austin says.
Older brother, Dennis Austin Jr. ’05, had recommended JWU to Adam, who was interesed in pursuing a bachelor’s degree. “CCRI and JWU have a great relationship which allowed me to transfer a large amount of credits,” says Austin. That and the quality of the program made his decision to come to JWU very simple.
Austin’s Taco internship had him assisting with a product launch package. He coordinated marketing with an agency, researched competitors and developed strategy documents, technical literature and spreadsheets on product information. He collaborated with engineering, updated CAD drawings and used product development and timeline management software. “I constantly find myself relating the knowledge areas discussed in class with my internship … [It] has been truly an eye-opening experience,” he says.
Austin acknowledges his parents, Associate Professor Clarence King and many at Taco for an enjoyable and educational experience. “Especially product manager Gene Fina ’08 who guided and worked with me during every stage of the project,” he says. “He’s been a great mentor and friend who I admire and respect. It’s helpful to have supportive alumni who can make recommendations to you while you fulfill your education.”
Vice president of Experiential Education & Career Services (EE&CS), Maureen Dumas, recognizes what a supportive environment Taco has provided JWU interns and alumni. It starts with their president, John Hazen White Jr. ’96 Hon. A member of the JWU Board of Trustees and longtime friend and donor, White “understands the evolving role of EE&CS and believes our students bring a lot to the table,” says Dumas. That Taco hired Abel D’Anello ’10 and many JWU interns including Austin and Poon Shing Chi ’11 is a sign that “we are meeting expectations.”
“Taco has been fortunate to have two JWU interns,” says Quinlan. “We are impressed with their work ethic, technical aptitude and great attitude. They more than met our expectations by fully immersing themselves in projects, willingly sharing responsibilities with their project team, staying late to help meet deadlines, and delivering quality work throughout their time with us.”