First Year Engineer Retreat Retrospective

By: Savannah Odom

Coming into NC State as a first year student, I had no idea I would find a program as amazing as paper science and engineering (PSE). I chose to join PSE because of the amazing energy everyone always has. I have never met a group of people so excited to get involved and interact with everyone they meet. Everyone is so
welcoming, and I love being a part of a program that is so enthusiastic about its students and is ready to invest in us. 

We were put through the trial-by-fire events starting from the first day we stepped on campus. When they told us to be prepared to be busy those first weeks, I had no idea how true those words would become! From the professional development bootcamp, to the paper industry career fair, to the many interviews we could have; I have never been so busy before. Very quickly, I learned to adapt to an eventful schedule by embracing the chaos of it all. While it was a very fast-paced first few weeks, I enjoyed talking to all the companies that welcomed us and learning more about the pulp and paper industry. On our very first weekend at NC State, all of the first year students woke up early Saturday morning to go visit International Paper’s mill in New Bern, NC. We got to talk to previous interns and a current engineer at International Paper and learn what an internship at a paper mill would be like. We were able to tour the mill and see the paper-making process from the wood chips to the finished product. I got to learn about all the different machines used in this large-scale process and how they all interconnect with each other. I have never seen a process so interesting as this one. My favorite part was getting up on the digester and being able to see the entire mill. 

The PSE program emphasizes building a support system early on between our classmates, and they took on a very literal approach to that when the next morning, we all went on a ropes course that immediately forged trust between classmates. We lifted each other up in the air and caught each other before we fell. We were blindfolded and had to communicate with each other without talking. We learned so much about each other and very quickly discovered how to trust each other through the ropes course.

Overall, the first month in PSE was the hardest and busiest time of my life, but it has also been the most fun and rewarding. From meeting new people to learning more about an industry I had never known before, I have had the best experience during my first month on campus.