Employer and Intern of the Year

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Details INTERN OF THE YEAR Details

2023-2024 Winners

EdwinEdwin Lopez-Roman:
2023-2024 Intern of the Year

Edwin is a senior mechanical engineering student who interned as a Crossover Intern with Brown Engineers. Edwin's supervisor at Brown Engineers, Scott Osborn Geurin, stated that Edwin was "an integral team member, especially on his many construction phase tasks, including site visits, construction observation, and submittal reviews." Edwin's impact extended beyond his immediate responsibilities as he took the initiative to improve the organization's "onboarding process for future interns and new hires by creating step-by-step guides for tasks" that Edwin was trained on. Edwin's commitment to his peers' growth was evident in his experiential experience as he tutored his fellow interns. This servant leadership extends beyond his internship and into the University of Arkansas community, where he mentored incoming students as Theta Tau's sophomore council member/mentor. Edwin is also Vice-President of external affairs for the University of Arkansas' Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Edwin's resilience, integrity, and determination in facing challenges have set him apart. Edwin's commitment to personal growth, combined with his ability to motivate and support others, reflects his exceptional character.

Grady WidenerGrady Widener:
2023-2024 Cooperative Education Student of the Year

Grady completed a cooperative education experience with Tesla in the spring of 2023. As Tesla’s Powertrain Equipment Engineering Intern, Grady left an indelible mark on the company’s program and the organization he worked with. During his internship, he aided in resolving an issue that was “present in the process since the program’s inception,” stated Grady’s supervisor, Jonathan Romero. “Grady was an exceptional intern for us. He filled a huge void on my team, specifically when it came to out of the box thinking design projects.” Grady’s efforts were not only noticed by his organization but lauded. “Grady was one of the most productive and efficient interns we’ve had at Tesla in my 11+ year tenure.” Grady's commitment to professional development is evident in his proactive pursuit of additional credentials and skills. Classified by Dr. Darin Nutter as one of Mechanical Engineering's high-achieving students, Grady's strong work ethic and self-motivation set a standard that is truly commendable.

Engineering Career Connections Employer of the Year

Annually, Engineering Career Connections (ECC) recognizes the achievement and excellence of an outstanding employer who has excelled in and made a significant impact in the career readiness, development, and support of College of Engineering (COE) students at the University of Arkansas (UA).

The selected Employer of the Year will be recognized in a Newswire article and will be recognized at the next Career Everywhere conference, typically held in the Fall.

Employer of the Year nominations can be submitted by students, employers, faculty, or staff.

 

Nominated employers must have hired at least one UA COE student for one or more work terms. Those work terms should be between May 1 of the previous year (2023) and April of the nominating year (2024). This may include interns, coops, part-time hires, and/or full-time hires.

  • Details about the nomination form are on the Rating Form. Please use the rating form as a guide when writing a nomination.
  • Emphasis is on career readiness, career development, and career education opportunities provided to students, not on the number of students hired or the strength of the employer’s relationship with UA COE.
  • If you are faculty, staff, or student nominator, note that the nomination should not be a surprise to the employer. Please work with the employer to secure the best information for their nomination.

Committee Rating Check List – College of Engineering Intern of the Year

Points Key: 0 – Not completed, 1 – Poor, 2 – Fair, 3 – Good, 4 – Excellent

Application Form

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  • Form is filled out completely

Briefly describe the nominated employer’s engagement with UA, COE, and/or academic departments during the 2023-2024 academic year.

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  • Form is filled out completely

Tell one story about the impact the nominated employer has had on a student’s career readiness and/or career development.

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  • Tells a single student’s story
  • Explains how the employer set them up for success during the hiring process
  • Explains how the employer set them up for success during the onboarding process
  • Explains how the employer set them up for success during their work term
  • Discusses support systems and offerings that the student did not take advantage of, but are open to them

Briefly describe how the nominated employer helps new hires (interns, coops, and full-time) professionally transition to the workforce and succeed in their job.

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  • Form is filled out completely

Describe how the nominated employer ensures that all hires feel welcome and supported in the application, hiring, and onboarding processes.

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  • Form is filled out completely

Please describe how the nominated employer is unique in their support of students’ career readiness and career development.

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  • Form is filled out completely

What else do you want the selection committee to know about this employer?

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  • Form is filled out completely

 

Engineering Career Connections Intern of the Year

Annually, Engineering Career Connections (ECC) recognizes the achievement and excellence of an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student who has excelled in and made a significant impact within an internship or cooperative education (CoOp) experience.

The selected award recipient(s) will be nominated for the Cooperative Education and Internships Association (CEIA) annual Internship Student Achievement Award or Cooperative Education Student Achievement Award. As applicable and at the student’s discretion, selected award recipients will also be nominated for the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Cooperative & Experiential Education Division (CEED) award.

  • Submit the nomination form online via https://forms.office.com/r/vtW59Q1gGm
  • Deadline: Tuesday, October 8th at 11:59 PM. The nomination must be received by this date! Late nominations will not be accepted.

Employers/Faculty: You are encouraged to nominate a student for this award. However, the nomination should not be a surprise to the student. Please work with the student to secure the needed nomination packet requirements.

Students: You are encouraged to nominate yourself for this award. Be sure to complete the nomination packet in its entirety in order to be considered for this award. Please follow the instructions listed above.

Questions? Email robynw@uark.edu 

 

Nominated students must:

  • have completed at least one internship or CoOp experience, paid or unpaid, for one or more of their work terms between September 1 of the previous year (2023) and August of the nominating year (2024). o Students can nominate themselves for ONE experience per application year.
  • be enrolled as a student at the University of Arkansas (UARK) during their listed experience.
  • have completed at least one internship or CoOp experience but may be on an additional site at the time of nomination.

Only include these four items (additional documentation will NOT be accepted):

  1. Completed Nomination Application Form
  2. Student Résumé
    a. one page limit; graduate student resumes do not need to submit a CV (i.e., your resume should not include a list of publications)

    b. if you need assistance with your resume before submitting your application, you can schedule an appointment with your Engineering Career Coach 
  3. Student Statement
    a. if you completed multiple internship/CoOp experiences, only write about ONE that falls within the September 2023 – August 2024 time frame 
  4. Employer Statement of Support: Employer
    a. must be signed and on organizational letterhead
  • Details about the nomination packet's content are on the Rating Form. Please use the rating form as a guide when organizing the nomination packet.
  • Emphasis is on reflection and application vs. the nature of the work or the industry in which the student participated.
  • If you are a faculty or employer nominating a student, the nomination should not be a surprise to the student. Please work with the student to secure the needed packet requirements.
  • Students: The selected student winner will receive a $250 scholarship award, recognition plaque, and a graduation cord and be featured on the ECC’s website and in UARK’s Newswire. Additionally, ECCC will submit the winner for the national CEIA award ($500 and invitation to the national conference).
  • Faculty: The faculty nominator of the selected winner will receive a $100 award.

Committee Rating Check List – College of Engineering Intern of the Year

Points Key: 0 – Not completed, 1 – Poor, 2 – Fair, 3 – Good, 4 – Excellent

Application Form

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  • Form is filled out completely

Student Resume: Format and Style

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  • Resume is organized, neat, and formatted in a professional and easy to read manner

  • Conveys a comprehensive picture of the student, emphasizing skills and accomplishments

Spelling and Grammar

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  • Utilizes correct spelling
  • Utilizes correct grammar and use of punctuation

Represents Internship

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  • Includes internship with nominating employer
  • Contains well-defined statements that are descriptive of experience

Describe how the nominated employer ensures that all hires feel welcome and supported in the application, hiring, and onboarding processes.

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  • Form is filled out completely

Student Statement: Learning

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  • Clearly articulates contributions, successes and/or proudest moment(s) from the experience
  • Identifies new skills, abilities, and understanding gained from the experience
  • Explained how they refined existing skills through the experience
  • Shared biggest learning moment
  • Details how the experience specifically aligns with academic coursework and addresses how classroom concepts were utilized
  • Effectively reflects on contributions to the experiential experiences (projects and performance)

Student Statement: Career Readiness

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  • Details growth in organizational (site of experience) knowledge and social dynamics (interpersonal and professional interactions)
  • Explains growth in professional and industry knowledge
  • Articulates knowledge, skills and abilities gained through experiential experience
  • Indicates how experiential experience prepares self for post-graduation success

Student Statement: Spelling & Grammar

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  • Utilizes correct spelling
  • Utilize correct grammar and use of punctuation

Note: Emphasis for the Student Statement should be on reflection and application versus the nature of the work or the industry where the student participated. The judges will be reviewing the Student Statement for examples and descriptions of insights the student gleaned into the company, industry and/or occupation/profession that they would not have had without this specific internship/co-op experience: – How did the student grow from the experience? – Did the experience confirm or shift the student’s intended career plans?

Employer Statement of Support: Experiential Experience Explanation

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  • Explains why the experiential experience is important for the organization
  • Effectively describes how student excelled and went above and beyond in experience through their contributions and performance
  • Describes student’s growth in soft skills

Employer Statement of Support: Organizational Impact:

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  • Shares specific examples of student’s outstanding work (touches on initiative, creativity, professionalism, and/or original work – related to assigned projects)
  • Details how student made a positive impact on department/organization

Employer Statement of Support: Professional Growth::

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  • Provides examples of how student specifically grew professionally throughout experience

Note: Specific examples demonstrating the student’s initiative and creativity in approaching their assigned work tasks/projects as well as commentary on the student’s drive, professionalism or attitude are recommended for inclusion. It will be helpful to include a detailed description of what makes this student outstanding. If the student was bestowed any company/organizational awards/recognition or extended an offer of continued employment (another internship/co-op or full-time employment) with your company/organization, be sure to share that information.