|
|
 |
Brandon Coleman
Major: Engineering
Co-op: Crane Plastics |
"I love my co-op experience at Crane Performance Siding! I am working on my degree in Civil Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), so this experience is perfect for me. I have a variety of things I work on like design auto cad and chamber testing. Chamber testing is where I make sure the siding is okay in hot or cold conditions. The workplace is like one big happy family. Communication is not a problem at all! I can lip-read well and we email, write notes, and sometimes they understand my speech. I want to thank my boss, Jeff Bycynski, and Robin Lynch, their Human Resource Director, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to learn and prove myself. I couldn’t have found a better place to work."
-Brandon
"Our goal was to expose Brandon Coleman to as many disciplines as possible in our engineering group. This would include mechanical design engineering, material performance testing, facilities layouts, facility improvements and ‘green’ engineering. We accomplished a number of assignments. He has taken an assistant design role with our mechanical engineer on a capital project that adds a new production line to our facility. Brandon’s AutoCad experience has been a big plus on this project. We also have a number of facility projects he completed that allows our group to make sound engineering decisions. Brandon’s attention to detail is a key attribute with our product testing of materials. He follows test procedures and provides data to the Technical Manger. Soon, we will look to Brandon to help us with a preliminary engineer draft of some Green projects related to the facility. Our communication paths to work with Brandon are notes, e-mails and lip-reading. We did begin his session with an interpreter. We discussed goals and objectives and Brandon was able to ask questions. We jointly said that we would use the interpreter as needed. So far, that has not been necessary. From our viewpoint, the communication has been very good."
-Jeff Bycynski, Director of Operations, Crane Plastics Performance Siding |
 |
|
 |
Reyes Presiado
Major: Accounting
Co-op: Defense Finance and Accounting Services |
"It was an interesting experience living and working in Columbus, Ohio for my co-op. I was eager to start my internship at Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) since it would be my first experience working with a government organization. I was amazed at how the work environment was disability friendly and I met many people with various kinds of physical disabilities. DFAS provides interpreting services for their 60 plus deaf workers. After the first few days of orientation, I was assigned to a rather repetitious job, but, after proving myself, I was challenged with a new project: to update the emergency planning recovery system database. Using the skills I learned at RIT through the Accounting in Bachelor of Science degree, I worked hard with my team to complete a complicated project that kept me busy! This helped me become familiar with a critical aspect of business and the importance of collecting accurate data. I feel this was a good experience for me because I learned how to work with many different kinds of people and systems that will help me in the future. "
-Reyes
"Reyes Presiado has been actively involved in updating an emergency planning recovery system database; preparing contracts, invoices, receiving reports and other accounts payable documentation for input into an electronic document management system; writing for a student intern newsletter; and assisting in preparing a newsletter focused on one of DFAS' customers. He has also actively participated in teambuilding activities, had job shadowing opportunities, taken on-line eLearning courses, and attended professional development organization meetings. "
-Tim Strom Leaders in Motion Program DFAS Columbus |
 |
|
 |
Kirsten Donica
Major: Accounting
Co-op: Defense Finance and Accounting Services |
"Before I came here to DFAS for a co-op experience, I was so nervous because this was my first real job in my whole life. It was an awesome experience; I found out that DFAS is a great workplace for deaf people. They have a lot of wonderful people who I feel comfortable being around. Some of the hearing people know sign language since about 60 deaf people work at DFAS. I was given a great opportunity to communicate with hearing people by using Microsoft Messengers like AIM or email, but I still use an interpreter for meetings. My supervisor, Bill McGee, is a wonderful person willing to help me understanding the real job world and he explains projects that I work on clearly because he is deaf as well. I am lucky to have such easy communication with my supervisor during my co-op. I learned that there are many significant differences between what I learned in my Business courses at RIT and how things actually work in the real world. I’m really thankful to DFAS and the wonderful people. My recommendation is that DFAS provides a great opportunity for summer interns to learn and to prepare for success in their future. "
-Kirsten
"Kirsten Donica was able to step in immediately and help our Quality Control Oversight Office on two high-level, complex projects. The skills that she developed from her NTID education, particularly in the area of Excel spreadsheets enabled us to put her to work right away while providing Kirsten a meaningful and broad exposure to the overall mission of our office. Our project teams benefited directly from the support she provided in developing detailed matrixes and spreadsheets that effectively organized and compiled complex information vital to the success of our projects. Kirsten is inquisitive and not afraid to ask questions. She is continually striving to learn more and broaden her knowledge base while developing new skills. This co-operative work experience was definitely a win-win situation for both the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and Kirsten. "
-Bill McGee, Accountant, Defense Finance and Accounting Services |
 |
|
 |
Amardeep Sekhri
Major: Management Information System
Co-op: Deaf Initiatives, Inc.& Deaf Services Center |
"I feel lucky to have two different part time co-op experiences. Both Deaf Initiatives (DI) and Deaf Services Center (DSC) shared my time forming an internship that allowed me to face many challenges and produce real outcomes. My two job experiences gave me the opportunity to work in different environments allowing me to use a variety of creative and innovative computer skills. I have learned how to work independently myself. I am now also skilled at using the Columbus Library to read computer books and learn new computer skills from them as well as tutorials online. I am using the skills I learned in the Management Information Systems Program at Rochester Institute of Technology to work with staff and supervisors. We share ideas and concepts about the development, designing and implementation of websites, databases, and programming needs. I am thankful to both DI and DSC for giving me this great opportunity to work in Ohio. I will take my new skills and the experiences I learned in this internship with me when I search for a full time job in future."
-Amardeep
"Amardeep Sekhri has grown since he first started work with Keepsake Theme Quilts. Because of logistics, his internship changed from a database developer to website designer. He was very flexible with the changes and jumped in with both feet to make changes and improvements to both Keepsake Theme Quilts and Deaf Initiatives web-sites. He is now working on a new interactive page to allow customers to design their own quilts on line. His innovative ideas are moving us forward in a competitive market."
-Anna Naumann, Office Manager, Deaf Initiatives. |
 |
 |
"It has been a pleasure working with Amardeep Sekhri as he is a pleasant person to work with and has an excellent analytical mind. He possesses a wide variety of computer and technical skills which was used in many ways. He has shown to be a dedicated and committed individual and has shared ideas with our team that were beneficial. He has created a database for us using Access and SQL. He has worked on improving our current webpage using Dreamweaver and Photoshop. In addition, he has edited video feeds and added them for use through our webpage. We all at Deaf Services Center have truly enjoyed having him on board with us for the summer of 2008. "
John L. Moore, Executive Director, Deaf Services Center |
|
|
Experiencing Your Future
In addition to the corporate donations, we want to thank the many individuals that have generously donated to our scholarship sponsor program. Without their support, many families throughout Ohio would not be able to participate.
Click here to see complete list of sponsors and in kind donations for all our initiatives.
Click here to
© 2008 Deaf Initiatives
|
|
