SPCHS graduates accepted into exclusive co-op with Siemens in Richland, MS

Thanks to 2016 St. Patrick Catholic High School Alumni Eric Million for providing an update on his journey since graduation! Eric is a junior in Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University [MSU] and he is currently on a co-op with Siemens in Richland, Mississippi. A co-op is a 5-year program where a student rotates between school and work every semester. Most companies including Siemens will take two co-ops at a time and teach them what the work environment is like and what the company is like. These are competitive programs to be accepted into and are advantageous for securing full-time positions post graduation.

This semester, Eric is on his first work term at Siemens. The Siemens plant makes circuit breakers and voltage regulators. He says, “As a co-op, I work in Digitalization where I am designing autonomous solutions to speed up work processes. The co-op has taught me a lot about how the business behind engineering works and the programming behind autonomous projects, both of which will be vital skills in my engineering career.”

Christopher Diaz, a fellow St. Patrick alumnus (class of 2016), was the co-op at Siemens before Eric. Christopher is a junior in Mechanical Engineering at MSU. St. Patrick Catholic High School Alumnus Jesse Parker (class of 2017) is currently working with Eric in the co-op as well. Jesse is a senior in Computer Science at MSU.

When asked how St. Patrick prepared him for the next step, Eric says, “SPCHS was a great foundation for my education and prepared me for my college career as well as my professional career. In engineering, everything we’re learning involves a lot of calculus, which Mrs. Tavel taught us well. Also, I especially appreciated the bioengineering class that was offered my senior year at SPCHS where I was introduced to Solidworks, a CAD program. Solidworks is the same software taught at MSU and is very similar to the software we use at Siemens. Jesse and Chris also feel they were well prepared for college through the AP classes offered at SPCHS.”

After graduation, Eric plans to pursue a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Christopher also plans to attend graduate school. Jesse would like to work in the aeronautical field and is particularly interested in planes from WWII.

Congratulations to these alumni on their many accomplishments!