Paradigm: Forging Model Men of Aggieland

Today we are highlighting Pablo Bea! Pablo is a Senior Industrial Distribution major from Dallas, Texas. This Summer he had a chance to work for ConocoPhillips in Houston, Texas as a Global Supply Chain Intern. Here are some details from his experience: Q: What advice would you give to someone who is looking to go into your field? A: "Don’t become passive when it comes to your network. Constantly meet new people and make yourself known out there. You never know when you will be able to leverage your connections for your own growth, or when you will be able to do the same for others. Plus, it is nice to have friends within the company." Q: What has been your favorite part of your internship so far? A: "Definitely the people. They have been awesome, always willing to lend a helping hand and excited to teach me everything they know. It’s great to know I have a supportive team, as it has made me realize this is a great place to work at should I continue full-time." Q: What are you most proud of from your internship? A: "The work I have completed and how much I have learned. I feel like I grew tremendously from where I was 10 weeks ago and that is from asking questions daily, connecting with people in the office, and never ceasing from being curious. I am very proud of what I have done in such a short span." Here is one more fun quote from Pablo: "Oil and gas is awesome." Congratulations to Pablo on a successful Summer!

Back to back spotlights today! Next up is our fearless leader Luke Bludau! He is a Senior Biological and Agricultural Engineering major from Hallettsville, Texas. He will also be serving as our President for the upcoming school year! He spent his Summer in Fort Worth, Texas with Standard Meat Company as an Engineering Intern. Here are his thoughts on his internship so far: Q: What skills are you learning this summer and how will they help you achieve your career goals? A: "This summer I am learning a lot of organizational skills as well as technical knowledge. With my internship, I have been tasked with finding new pieces of equipment to increase the efficiency of production. I have found that keeping an organized spreadsheet of each piece of equipment allows me to find the best one for our process." Q: What has been your favorite part of your internship so far? A: "My internship revolves around food, which is definitely my favorite part. In the facilities, sensory test are performed to make sure that the quality of the meat is top notch for our customers. This means I get to broaden my knowledge of the different cuts of meats and how they are prepared. I also get free food!" Q: What are you most proud of from your internship? A: "I am most proud of working with a team to introduce a new piece of equipment that positively benefits the company in many ways. The team worked together to collect data and run numerous test on if the equipment would suit our production method. The equipment will be implemented at the plant I worked at and possibly introduced into our other plants." Congrats to Luke for a Summer full of career growth and free meat!

Todays spotlight is for Roy Flores! RJ is a senior Entomology major from La Joya, Texas. This summer he is joining Wonderful Citrus in Mission, Texas to work as a Farm and Harvest Management Intern. Here is some more about him and his work this summer: Q: What are your some of your interests and goals for your career? A: "My interests are to be able to analyze and prevent the damage of invasive insects to crops we use and consume everyday." Q: What skills are you learning this summer? A: "Being able to analyze and interpret different aspects of what an agricultural and processing company does to go from farm to table and every intricate step in between." Q: How has your time in Paradigm helped you succeed during your internship? A: "Paradigm has helped me learned how to prepared for new beginnings. My brothers have taught me how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations such as dealing with nerves before an interviews." Q: What advice would you give to someone who is looking to go into your field? A: "Bugs aren’t that scary." Congratulations RJ, keep it up!

Today we put the spotlight on Meet Patel! Meet is a Junior Mechanical Engineering Major from Sugar Land, Texas. This Summer he has the opportunity to work as a Submittals Intern with Unify Energy Solutions in Houston, Texas. Here is a little more about Meet and the work he is doing this summer! Q: What are your some of your interests and goals for your career? A: "I've always been fascinated about the advancements within the aeronautical industry. My passion for it is actually what led me to pursue my studies in engineering. A career goal of mine would be to work for a notable aerospace company where i would be able to design, test and maintain an aircraft structural integrity. " Q: Have you faced any major challenges at your internship? How were you able to overcome them? A: "Coming into this internship program, I had no prior experience within the HVAC and building automation industry. I was initially nervous I'd fall behind on assignments and wouldn’t be able to truly express my abilities. Those nerves and feelings were tackled by me simply just asking questions. I let my curiosity drive my work and whenever i felt something was unclear, the engineering team here made me comfortable by them being approachable and empathetic. Week by week i grew more comfortable within the work field and began to enjoy all the aspects of it." Q: How has your time in Paradigm helped you succeed during your internship? A: "My time at Paradigm so far has taught me to be outgoing. I expected everyone in an office setting to be only talking about assignments. But I initiated side conversations and created new bonds simply by going off topic at appropriate times." Q: GOAT internship snack? A: "Trail mix, its clean, healthy and doesn’t leave stains on my keyboard and mouse. Plus the M&Ms are a treat for when I feel proud of my work." Looks like trail mix might be the secret to being a great engineer! Congratulations on all your accomplishments Meet!

Howdy LinkedIn! Today we are kicking off our Summer Internship Spotlights! First up is Miguel Leal. Miguel is a Junior Nursing major from Katy, Texas. He will also be serving as one of our Service Executives for the 2024-2025 school year. This Summer Miguel is working as an Undergraduate Research Intern with Houston Methodist in Houston, Texas. Miguel had the following to share about his experience thus far: Q: What are your some of your interests and goals for your career? A: "I’m passionate about becoming a leader in nursing and making an impact on patient care through research. By focusing on optimizing nursing practices, I believe I can contribute to better healthcare outcomes. Working with the scientists at Houston Methodist has fueled my enthusiasm for research and strengthened my commitment to this career path." Q: Have you faced any major challenges at your internship? How were you able to overcome them? A: "As part of the outcomes analysis, I needed to understand some of the basics of the R programming language. It was difficult learning how to code for the first time, but I was given all the necessary tools to succeed. My mentor provided some introductory courses on R, which helped me start the research project with one foot forward." Q: What skills are you learning this summer and how will they help you achieve your career goals? A: "This summer, I've been learning R programming and statistical analysis, which are key skills for outcomes research. Although these skills aren't directly related to bedside nursing, they’re useful for analyzing data and improving healthcare practices. As I aim to blend research with my career, these skills will help me contribute to evidence-based practice and drive change in the field." Please help us in congratulating Miguel for this major step in his career! Stay tuned for more internship spotlights from the Model Men of Aggieland!

A couple of weeks ago, we collected school supplies for the students at nearby Anson Jones Elementary School in Bryan, TX. It's great seeing our acts of service help the local students in need!