Purdue ECE student applies WiE study abroad experience to summer work
Purdue ECE student applies WiE study abroad experience to summer work
Whether performing hands-on field work or collaborating in an office, Purdue University engineering students use the skills and knowledge gleaned throughout the prior academic year in summer jobs.
Sydney Lin loves learning, which brought her to Purdue in August 2024 to pursue an electrical engineering degree. Learning from a textbook was one thing, but learning from her peers, both in the classroom and in a study abroad experience? Lin couldn’t imagine a better opportunity.
The summer of 2025, Lin applied what she learned in ENGR 29600 (Gender in the World), a spring semester course and study abroad experience led by the Women in Engineering (WiE) Program, as an engineering intern at Mission Support and Test Services, LLC, in Las Vegas.
“One of the most important things I learned was what I was looking for in a company and their policies,” Lin said. “Similarly, I learned from both classmates and the curriculum how to approach difficult situations in the workplace, and I have a lot more confidence.”
As an engineering intern, Lin assisted in upkeep and design improvements for the Nevada National Security Sites’ power grids. She worked with two teams — power operations and engineering — to develop production standards for parts of transmission systems. The development process involved many conversations and brainstorming sessions, and Lin became a regular idea contributor and thoughtful teammate.
Just a few weeks into her internship, Lin uplifted the team by celebrating project milestones and team wins, whether the progress was completing a project or deciding on a design. Appreciating the little things, like having a successful French conversation or navigating an unfamiliar street, had been a major takeaway from her study abroad experience. Bringing that into the internship made Lin a noted, confident and supportive teammate.
She credited the experiences others shared in ENGR 296 with the personal growth.
“Being able to hear about my classmates’ work experiences made me excited for my own,” said Lin, a rising sophomore from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “We all have an impact and responsibility to create a healthy environment where all coworkers feel heard, respected and able to make an impact.”
Lin came to ENGR 296 eager for inspiration from her 16-person class and TA about workforce entry — and a few days in France and Spain.
“After traveling for over 10 hours (to get to Europe) and traipsing through different parts of Spain and France, it was like we had known each other for years, not just nine short weeks,” Lin said. “To travel, learn and explore in a new place with new languages and new friends, it was truly an experience like no other.”
ENGR 296000 is available to all Purdue undergraduate students. More information can be found about the course, which is offered in the spring semester of each academic year, on the Women in Engineering Program website.
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