Chemical engineering student lands internship that helps fuel her passion towards a greener future

Annabelle Broussard is a senior in chemical engineering and an intern at 埃克森美孚 作为混合和包装实习生. 在这个Q中&A, the Beaumont native talks about her experience as a legacy LU student and her passion towards a better tomorrow. 

Q: Are you a first-generation college student/ the first in your family to attend college?
A: 我不是第一代大学生. 我的父母都获得了四年制学位. 

问:是什么激发了你对专业的热情?
A: I never really knew about engineering until I was in middle school. 我爸爸是会计，我妈妈是老师, so the thought never occurred to me until my middle school science teacher, Mr. 米勒建议参加 拉马尔的工程训练营简介. 就在那时，我决定我要成为一名工程师. I recently found out that the year I attended was the first year the camp was held. 我最初申请的是电气工程专业, but quickly changed my mind after consulting with some of my high school teachers and family members. 在卢的一个学期后，我知道我做出了正确的选择. I chose chemical engineering because I truly believe that it’s the most versatile degree with a variety of career choices. 我喜欢解决问题、数学和不断接受挑战. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in the world and I think that chemical engineering is the way for me to do that, especially with the investment being made by companies towards carbon capture and renewable resources.

问:为什么是十大电子游艺网站排行?
A: 我妈妈在我小的时候就读于十大电子游艺网站排行, 所以这似乎一直是我成长过程中的一个选择. I used to go to campus with her when she had summer/night classes. I chose LU for two reasons: the amazing engineering program and scholarships. 十大电子游艺网站排行工程学院 is one of the top universities in the country for return on investment. 我是卢的一名学生 校长奖学金获得者 (前身为米拉波奖学金), so supporting student funding is something that I’m very passionate about.

问:你在十大电子游艺网站排行的经历如何?
A: 我在纽约大学的经历非常棒. There are not many words I can think of to properly sum up the three years I have spent at 十大电子游艺网站排行. 我一直是迎新会的领导, 为学校和组织组织活动, 甚至还在岩壁上工作过. LU has given me opportunity after opportunity and I could not be happier. I could write an essay on every single experience I’ve had at LU, but no one wants to hear that!

问:你参加了哪些俱乐部和组织?
A: 这将是一个很长的句子! I am a member of numerous organizations on campus: Lamar Ambassadors; American Institute of Chemical Engineers; Honors Student Association; Student Government Association; Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers; MedLife; Society of Women Engineers; Psychological Association of Lamar Students; Rotaract; LU Women in Stem; Vietnamese Student Association; and LU Hispanic Society. 2020年秋天, I co-founded an organization called Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations that offered free consulting services for nonprofit organizations. 我甚至偶尔和LU乒乓球队一起练习! I have held officer positions in AIChE, HSA, SASE, MedLife and SWE.

问:你现在/将要在哪家公司/组织实习?
A: 我现在在埃克森美孚公司实习. 在秋季学期，我将与 空气化工产品公司 & 化学物质 作为混合和包装实习生.

问:在哪里? 你的实习正在进行中?
A: 我正在实习 埃克森美孚 在德克萨斯州博蒙特市.

问:你的职位/职责是什么?
A: Like most internships, I was given a project to work on to improve the process that I work with! Learning the process is probably the most important responsibility of any engineering job.

问:你是如何获得这个实习机会的?
A: I actually obtained this internship at the Society of Women Engineers Career Fair back in October. 至于被选为这份工作, I’ve had two engineering work experiences and before that I was an orientation leader at LU. Being able to highlight your accomplishments in any way (even non-engineering related jobs) is a skill that everyone needs to learn! 

问:你对这次实习最感兴趣的是什么?
A: 实习期即将结束, 我可以说我最喜欢的是学习新事物. I like to say that I work in a very specialized field right now, 所以我接触的每个人都是专家. 另外, connecting with people in the company has been a lot of fun! 每个人都很乐意帮助和回答问题. 他们也有社交活动!

Q: Tell us about your future goals and aspirations and how this internship can help you along your journey.
A: 我的长期目标是研究碳捕获. I find the concept fascinating and believe that it’s the start of innovative solutions to further prepare for the future. 这也是一个相对较新的想法(强调相对), 我希望有一天能成为这个领域的专家. 为埃克森美孚这样的公司工作, 积极地投资于这些企业, 是我的目标吗. This internship has allowed me to branch off and learn so many new things. I’m incredibly thankful for every work experience I have had thus far.

Q: Would you like to shout out any professors or mentors at LU that helped you along your journey?
A: Dr. 你好，保罗·道金斯博士. Benson博士和Dr. 海伦卢. 我很感激能参加Dr. 这是何退休前的最后一堂过程分析课. 毫无疑问，他是我遇到的最好的教授之一. 他非常支持我，总是愿意帮助我. 保罗·道金斯让我爱上了微积分. 我甚至不知道这怎么可能，谁喜欢微积分2? 嗯，我做了. His famous math notes are widely used for a reason and he is an even better professor in person. 我没去过任何一个. Benson’s classes since my first semester, but as an AIChE sponsor he’s done a lot for me. 另外, he spent the last year as interim chair of the chemical engineering department, and I appreciate the work that he has done for the department since then. 最后，我有博士. 海伦卢参加了一个专业研讨班, 哪个看起来不重要, but the class really helped me develop my communication and public speaking skills. Her positive attitude and passion instilled a confidence in me that I didn’t know was there. 

Q: What advice would you give to current students looking for internships at this time?
A: 加入组织并参与其中. 找到年长的学生，向他们提问. Those are my two biggest pieces of advice that helped me get to where I am today. 如果你是一个没有经验的大二学生也没关系, companies are looking to hire students that show diligence and dedication. 不要因为被拒绝而气馁，昂起头来. I had 40 rejections before I got my first internship offer (it was actually 40, 我保留了一个Excel电子表格). I would not have even considered a semester co-op if I hadn’t heard about it from other people. 大多数高年级学生都愿意提供帮助和建议. Joining organizations, asking for help, attending resume critiques and mock interviews. 做所有的事情.

问:你还有什么要补充的吗?
A: I’m always open to answering questions or referring you to someone who can! I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of great people, and I would love to assist others in the same way. 不要害怕向我或其他任何人伸出援手!