My Bradley Internship at Chemring

By Peyton Girard, Junior

For the longest time, I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. That all changed my junior year of high school when I attended a job fair and discovered the different disciplines within engineering I could pursue.

I chose to study mechanical engineering because of how broad it is. When I was applying for internships, I hoped that wherever I ended up would allow me to figure out what exactly I wanted to do. I ended up accepting an internship at Chemring Energetic Devices in the manufacturing group to aid in designing parts for a spacecraft. Little did I know that this internship would give me a newfound love of Aerospace engineering.

I had an amazing mentor at Chemring and I worked on multiple projects — each one focused on a different aspect of engineering. Through this internship, I was able to learn a lot about the engineering world and how multiple teams collaborate to create products for clients. As an intern, it was amazing to see that the projects I worked on had a purpose within the company.

I worked on a project with a member of the manufacturing group, helping with the quality and inspection of a part for a NASA spacecraft. It is amazing to think that I had a hand in something for NASA!

This experience allowed me to figure out what I love about engineering and grow my desire to keep learning more. I always want to try something new and get to experience as much in the engineering field as I possibly can. At Chemring, I learned so much in such a short period of time.

I would have never been able to succeed in this internship if it wasn’t for the preparation I received here at Bradley. The minute I stepped foot on campus during a visit, I knew it was a perfect fit. The smaller campus and class sizes allowed me to establish a connection with all my professors. Bradley has provided me with a solid foundation for my future career.

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