David Sheppard – Class of ’17

David Sheppard graduated from NC State in 2017 with a dual degree in Paper Science and Engineering & Chemical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. We reached out to David to find about his current career, and advice for current students.  Thanks for sharing David!

Experiences at NC State

• Internship/co-op experience: Undergraduate research with Dr. Park in Forest Biomaterials (Summer 2014), Co-op with Buckman Laboratories at IP’s Riegelwood Mill (Spring & Summer 2015),  Process Engineer Intern at Cascades Tissue mill in Rockingham (Summer 2016),  Reliability Engineer Intern at Cascades Tissue converting in Wagram (Summer 2017)
• Best memory at State: On campus: the day I got to walk across the stage as a senior at the Pulp and Paper Celebration Banquet, and announce my graduation and job acceptance to my family, peers and the amazing faculty that basically dragged me to that point. I could practically see the testing years it took to get there at my feet, and I felt 20 ft tall.
  Off campus: I’ll keep that to myself, but it was pretty epic.
• Worst memory at State: The ~2 month span sophomore year where I lost my housing, girlfriend, GPA, and almost much more. Ultimately that experience stimulated more personal growth than any other single event, and I am much better off for it. However, at the time it was not particularly fun.
• Clubs/Hobbies: I was actively involved in TAPPI, but to stay sane and get some artistic exposure I would DJ for the radio station WKNC 88.1 on Sunday and Monday nights. It was a great way to decompress before the week resumed and I got to meet a lot of fantastic people outside of my engineering curriculum.
• Favorite part of PSE Program: The program is built by and built around the people- there’s a level of engagement from the faculty and the students that transcends any other program I saw on campus.
• Most important thing PSE taught me: Engineering school taught me how to break down problems and understand solutions. PSE taught me how to respect an industry, foster a community, and be a professional.

Current Career Information

• Company/job position: Cascades Tissue Group, Rockingham; Lead Plant Engineer
• Years at current job: January, 2018
• Favorite part of current job: The close-knit nature of the mill as a team. We’re all different people, sure, but everyone is generally rooting for everyone else and we all want to be successful together.
• Biggest accomplishment in your career: I’ve successfully lead our mill through several audits and trials as the only engineer for our production division, and generated $500,000+ in cost savings in my first year. Those sorts of laurels look good on a resume, but in reality my biggest accomplishment is that I’ve managed to earn respect and camaraderie from the vast majority of a mill with a high proportion of 15+ year operators and millwrights.

What other positions have you held

• I’ve been a chemical sales co-op with Buckman, at IP Riegelwood. I’ve interned in both production and maintenance roles with Cascades. I also had the chance to do undergraduate research and TA within the department of Forest Biomaterials.

What is your advise for current students

• Reach out for help and guidance as soon as you can. Ask questions, until it makes sense on more than just the test. There’s no extra prize for learning things the hard way, and college offers the highest density of resources you’ll likely ever have.

Personal Information

• Hometown: Wilmington, NC
• Family: I was raised by a joint task force of my landscaping mother, shipyard-working father and my indomitable older sister, who takes much of the credit for my academic success.
• Hobbies/interests: I’m a geek at heart. I enjoy films, board games (especially D&D), and a cornucopia of different music genres. I also enjoy outdoor sports (nature in general, really) and travel with friends/family.
• Any other comments:  Your professors and peers are people too. It’s easy to find faults with people, and I have no doubt you will. Producing solutions is much harder, but its what drives the world forward for all of us