Bound for greatness: Chemical and paper engineering grad presses forward in career
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Four internships, multiple leadership positions, a full-time job waiting in the wings—it's safe to say Elisha Ewing has maximized her time at Western Michigan University.
"Western was the right choice for me because it has provided me the right balance of freedom and structure to figure out what I'm passionate about, pursue growth and be challenged in a good way," says Ewing, who will graduate from Western on Saturday, April 26, with a dual degree in chemical and paper engineering.
Not long after she walks across the commencement stage at Miller Auditorium, she'll walk into her new job as a process engineer at Smurfit Westrock in Cottonton, Alabama—a facility she knows well as she completed an internship there last summer.
Engineering a resume
The journey to Alabama started five years ago when Ewing made the trip from her hometown of Royal Oak, Michigan, to Kalamazoo. A strong student in math and science, Ewing had her pick of colleges to attend. But only one felt right when she toured.
"I came to Western and immediately felt like this is a place where people care about other people. This is a place where you're not just a number, and it's a place where you're actually going to find your community and where you can be involved," she says.
Ewing found a home within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, first as a chemical engineering student and then expanding her resume by adding a paper engineering major as well.
"It's amazing how much support they've provided to me in terms of career opportunities, networking opportunities and also leadership," she says.
The career opportunities included an internship at Graphic Packaging International in Battle Creek, Michigan, as a process engineer, which she calls a "great introduction to the paper industry and a very holistic view of the process," followed by three different roles over the next three years within the Smurfit Westrock company, at mills in Battle Creek, Texas and Alabama.
"I've gotten a well-rounded view of the industry through my internship experiences," she says. "It's cool to know I have experience in four different areas of the paper making process, and I have an idea of what I like about each of them and what I don't like about each of them. It makes me more confident that I am prepared to go into full-time work."
Throughout her time with the paper engineering program, Ewing has also been actively engaged with the WMU Paper Technology Foundation, which coordinates networking events and industry site visits as well as national conference opportunities.
"This program has been incredible at preparing me to not only thrive in school but thrive beyond school," says Ewing, who also serves as president of Ts'ai Lun, the paper engineering registered student organization (RSO). "I'm leaving this program feeling like I have real relationships with a lot of different industry professionals, which has helped me a lot in deciding what I wanted to do in the industry and what opportunities are available."
Learning through leadership
Engineers are analytical, precise and mathematically minded. "We're not known for our communication skills," laughs Ewing. But the RSOs she joined, from Ts'ai Lun to Western Student Association (WSA) to Cru campus ministry, helped her grow holistically, giving her opportunities to build up her personal and professional tool boxes.
"It was really great to have the mental break going from such technical and difficult content in my major to also grow and develop 'soft skills' like social and relational skills," she says.
Her leadership roles in those organizations also gave her a seat at the table with Western administration, often becoming a voice for students on Universitywide committees and decision-making groups.
"To get to practice relationship-building in a professional setting here has been really beneficial," she says. "I feel like there's a lot of parallels in what I've seen in the (paper engineering) industry and the experiences I've gotten here on campus."
Ewing also appreciates the opportunity she's had to learn from a variety of different people while also impacting student lives—whether leading Bible study groups in residence halls with Cru or helping organize Mental Health Week for WSA.
And while she may be counting down the days to commencement, she says saying goodbye to the place she's called home for so long will be bittersweet.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready to leave," says Ewing. "While there were a lot of challenges, I look back and see that I was surrounded by people who were there to support me through those challenges and not just survive them but help me grow from them. I wouldn't be the person I am today without it. I love who I am today, I love the things that I've done and I love the things that I want to do with my future. And Western was the mechanism for bringing that to life."
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