Alumni Spotlight – Kat Santoro – Class of ’19

Kat Santoro graduated from NC State in 2019 with a BS in Paper Science and Engineering and a certification in Process Control. We recently reached out to Kat to find out about her experiences since graduating from NC State, and what advise she would pass on to current students.  Thanks for your time, Kat.

Experience at NC State

•  Internship/co-op experience: Georgia-Pacific: Summer 2016, and January – August 2017, BASF: Summer 2018,  Andritz: Summer 2019
• Favorite class: PSE 322, PSE 355, PSE 360, PSE 472, PSE 475
• Best memory at State: NC State football beating Notre Dame during Hurricane Matthew, CNR Shack-A-Thons and TAPPI Student Summits
• Worst memory at State: PSE Senior Design and losing football to Clemson after multiple missed field goals
• Clubs: CNR Engaging Leaders, CNR Student Ambassadors, NC State TAPPI
• Hobbies: Hiking, Running, attending sporting events
• Favorite part of PSE program: The camaraderie and family environment made the tough times easier and the good times even better. The support from faculty, staff, and peers alike is unparalleled and was so impactful on my college experience! Also, you don’t stop being a member of the family when you graduate, and that is invaluable!
• Most important thing PSE taught me: PSE taught me just how important a good support network is for both your personal and professional life! It also taught me to work hard in pursuing things that I am passionate about in my career.
• Company/job position: Braincube, Technical Consultant
• Years at current job: September 2020
• What other positions/jobs have you had: Andritz, Process Control Engineer.
• Favorite part of the job: Getting to design custom control logic to help our customers solve problems in their pulp production and chemical recovery operations
• Biggest accomplishment in career: Since I am such a recent grad, I don’t feel that I really have one yet, but know in the near future with all the support I have, that I will!

Advice for Current Students

• My advice is to put yourself outside your comfort zone in college! Pushing yourself to try new clubs, go new places, and meet different people is a great way to grow, and you never know what you may learn along the way. Also, getting involved is crucial. Whether it’s in the PSE program, CNR, or somewhere else on campus, being very involved on campus makes your time at NC State so much richer!

Personal Information

• Hometown: Tuscon, AZ
• Current Hobbies: Hiking, running, traveling, hanging out with friends and my cat
• Tell us about your family: Dad, Mom, and younger sister are all in Arizona. My younger sister is a junior studying Biomedical Engineering at Arizona State University.