Trine Fund

Oanh "Skye" Nguyen

 

Oanh (“Skye”) Nguyen 2017 BSChE saw a lot of growth in the international community at Trine University during her time on campus.

“When I started here I worked for Emily Boerman (director of international services) and it was just a one-person office,” the Vietnam native said. “I remember putting in the names of all the international students and we had about 70. Now it’s up to however-many hundreds and it’s amazing to see how the community has grown.”

That growth has mirrored the growth Nguyen has seen in her own life during her time at Trine.

 “I feel completely prepared to go out into real life,” she said. “I did an internship in Seattle and the people I worked for had never heard of Trine, but after I worked for them they told me I communicated better than the native interns, and that showed how Trine had taught me to be a very confident engineer.”

She originally came to the United States during her senior of high school when she did a cultural exchange year in Auburn, Indiana, about a half-hour from Trine’s main campus. She knew she wanted to pursue a chemical engineering major and chose Trine after considering several schools.

Among her favorite memories are hosting Trine’s International Night and being part of the Chem-E Car team, which competes annually through the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She won a first prize award and a safer design award this past spring in the AIChE’s annual Student Design Competition.

After commencement, she left for Seattle to settle with her fiancé, Sherard Dames, 2014 BSCpE. She hopes to get a job in technical sales, and eventually the couple hopes to start a company that will provide engineering consulting services to small businesses in Vietnam.

Codee Colby

When Codee Colby started an internship related to her exercise science major, she never thought she would wind up tending a garden.

Colby, a Trine University senior from Michigan Center, Michigan, has served as an intern at the Parkview Noble Center for Health Living in Kendallville since February. Internships like Colby’s receive support from the Trine Fund, which helps with expenses like gas cards for travel.

Working for Kristen Ruble, community health improvement manager, Colby assists with front desk duties and, among other duties, directs the Center’s weekly walking club.

After Colby began the internship at the Center, Ruble asked if she also would like to intern for Activate Noble County (ANC), a countywide project that seeks to improve health and safety across Noble County. One of the main projects Colby has worked on for ANC has been its farm stands. As part of her work, she tends 12 separate garden beds behind the Center.

“I never gardened in my life before this internship,” she said. “It's been so exciting and a great learning experience.”

She raises about 15 different produce items that are sold at the farm stands for $1 per pound.

Colby plans to graduate from Trine in May and pursue a graduate degree in occupational therapy. She said even though her internship doesn’t directly tie into occupational therapy, she has appreciated the exposure it has given her to the wide variety of opportunities in the health field.

“It has definitely given me the chance to work with all age groups and to understand their thought process on a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

Brad Cooper

From an early age, Brad Cooper enjoyed learning how things worked.

Cooper, who graduated from Trine University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, is now working as a gas field engineer for NIPSCO, the natural gas company serving northeast Indiana.

“I always enjoyed tinkering around with things. That’s how I got into mechanical engineering,” said Brad.

He chose Trine because its smaller class sizes allowed him the opportunity to connect with professors. The up-to-date equipment in university laboratories provided by Trine Fund donations also prepared him for his current work.

“I have used the skills I learned with finding the flow properties and characteristics of natural gas in pipes and through fittings,” he said.

Brad is now able to design more efficient natural gas distribution systems, allowing more people access to affordable natural gas. He also analyzes systems to make sure they maintain safety requirements.

Brad says the small class sizes, personal attention from professors and classroom instruction gave him the skills he needed to thrive.

“They want you to succeed,” he said.