{"id":26440,"date":"2026-09-02T10:23:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/?p=26440"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T14:23:20","slug":"pse-freshman-retreat-builds-teamwork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/news\/2026\/09\/pse-freshman-retreat-builds-teamwork\/","title":{"rendered":"PSE Freshman Retreat Builds Teamwork"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Abby Hickman, PSE\/CHE ’27<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NC State Paper Science and Engineering freshman class participated in the PSE FYE Retreat, held August 28-30. The weekend gave students an early opportunity to experience the pulp and paper industry firsthand, learn more about future career opportunities, and build relationships with the classmates they will spend the next four years alongside. This year, they were able to make a weekend of it, staying overnight building friendships that will last for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students began the weekend by traveling to the Eastern 4-H Center, where they learned more about the Domtar, Plymouth Mill and prepared for the annual PSE Mill Challenge. The following morning, the class traveled to Domtar for a tour of the woodyard, fiberline, recovery area, and NC-5 paper machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many students, this was a new experience.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \u201cThis was my first time visiting a paper mill and it was mind blowing,\u201d freshman Emma Fig said. \u201cI loved seeing all the machinery and walking around the big equipment.\u201d\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing the manufacturing process at full scale also gave students a new perspective on what it takes to operate a mill.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \u201cSeeing the mill in person made me realize just how much work, people, and little tasks go into making a mill run smoothly,\u201d Fig said.\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For freshman Benjamin Kennedy, the NC-5 paper machine was a highlight of the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \u201cThe most interesting part of the tour was far and away the NC5 machine,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cThe sheer scale of the mill was astounding, and seeing all that goes into processing the wood made watching the stock be formed, dried, and wound even cooler.\u201d\n <\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The visit also included time for students to speak with Domtar employees representing full-time, internship, and co-op experiences. These conversations gave the freshmen an early look at the career paths available through PSE and the people working throughout the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Domtar employees all love their job, and that was very apparent to me this past weekend,\u201d Fig said. \u201cThe retreat made me super excited to learn more about PSE and its opportunities. PSE has offered so much in just the first two weeks of school, and I cannot wait for all the future opportunities and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After returning to camp, students worked in teams to complete the PSE Mill Challenge, applying what they learned during the mill visit before presenting their ideas that evening. While the technical and industry exposure were important parts of the retreat, students said some of the most memorable moments happened outside of the scheduled activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe retreat allowed me to get really close to the students in PSE, and I am excited to spend the next four years learning with these classmates,\u201d Fig said. She added that although she enjoyed the mill visit and team-building activities, some of her favorite moments were simply talking with other students during free time and making friendship bracelets on the bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy shared a similar perspective. \u201cMy favorite part of the weekend was getting to know everyone at the 4-H Center,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cFrom playing late-night volleyball to Dr. Byrd\u2019s movie night, I had a blast spending my weekend with my peers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The retreat concluded Sunday with a team-building activity before students returned to NC State. By the end of the weekend, the freshmen had toured their first paper mill, met industry professionals, worked together on the Mill Challenge, and gotten to know one another beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bringing the full weekend Freshman Retreat back for the first time since 2019 marked the return of an important PSE tradition. More importantly, the weekend gave the newest members of the program an early glimpse of what makes PSE unique: hands-on industry experiences, strong professional opportunities, and a close-knit community of students, faculty, alumni and industry partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n

By: Abby Hickman, PSE\/CHE '27<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NC State Paper Science and Engineering freshman class participated in the PSE FYE Retreat, held August 28-30. The weekend gave students an early opportunity to experience the pulp and paper industry firsthand, learn more about future career opportunities, and build relationships with the classmates they will spend the next four years alongside. This year, they were able to make a weekend of it, staying overnight building friendships that will last for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students began the weekend by traveling to the Eastern 4-H Center, where they learned more about the Domtar, Plymouth Mill and prepared for the annual PSE Mill Challenge. The following morning, the class traveled to Domtar for a tour of the woodyard, fiberline, recovery area, and NC-5 paper machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many students, this was a new experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing the manufacturing process at full scale also gave students a new perspective on what it takes to operate a mill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

For freshman Benjamin Kennedy, the NC-5 paper machine was a highlight of the tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The visit also included time for students to speak with Domtar employees representing full-time, internship, and co-op experiences. These conversations gave the freshmen an early look at the career paths available through PSE and the people working throughout the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Domtar employees all love their job, and that was very apparent to me this past weekend,\u201d Fig said. \u201cThe retreat made me super excited to learn more about PSE and its opportunities. PSE has offered so much in just the first two weeks of school, and I cannot wait for all the future opportunities and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After returning to camp, students worked in teams to complete the PSE Mill Challenge, applying what they learned during the mill visit before presenting their ideas that evening. While the technical and industry exposure were important parts of the retreat, students said some of the most memorable moments happened outside of the scheduled activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe retreat allowed me to get really close to the students in PSE, and I am excited to spend the next four years learning with these classmates,\u201d Fig said. She added that although she enjoyed the mill visit and team-building activities, some of her favorite moments were simply talking with other students during free time and making friendship bracelets on the bus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kennedy shared a similar perspective. \u201cMy favorite part of the weekend was getting to know everyone at the 4-H Center,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cFrom playing late-night volleyball to Dr. Byrd\u2019s movie night, I had a blast spending my weekend with my peers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The retreat concluded Sunday with a team-building activity before students returned to NC State. By the end of the weekend, the freshmen had toured their first paper mill, met industry professionals, worked together on the Mill Challenge, and gotten to know one another beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bringing the full weekend Freshman Retreat back for the first time since 2019 marked the return of an important PSE tradition. More importantly, the weekend gave the newest members of the program an early glimpse of what makes PSE unique: hands-on industry experiences, strong professional opportunities, and a close-knit community of students, faculty, alumni and industry partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Abby Hickman, PSE\/CHE ’27 NC State Paper Science and Engineering freshman class participated in the PSE FYE Retreat, held August 28-30. The weekend gave students an early opportunity to experience the pulp and paper industry firsthand, learn more about future career opportunities, and build relationships with the classmates they will spend the next four…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274,"featured_media":26441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55,72,215,39,27,231],"tags":[201],"class_list":["post-26440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-forest-biomaterials-newsletter","category-internships","category-paper-science-and-engineering","category-pse-newsletter","category-pse-students","tag-ppab"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26440"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26448,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26440\/revisions\/26448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/fb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}