This is the dream. I want work to be this way every day.
Today that’s what it felt like! We were at the SAAB museum and talked about engineering with kids still in school. It went so well that afterwards we spontaneously did a high five. Luckily there was a photographer there that managed to capture this incredible moment.
My name is Wesley Episcopo and I am New England’s Rotational Grad/Trainee. I live in Connecticut now and this is my first time experiencing winter… I am 25 years old and I grew up in San Diego, where it rains maybe twice a year and the only season we have is summer. I know… why move? Well before I answer that, I’d like to share a little about myself first.
I am a learner. I studied Mechanical Engineering and Entrepreneurship at San Diego State University. I boast a diverse background in hard skills from engineering and soft skills from entrepreneurship. I regard education as one of the essential elements of a well-lived life. Gathering knowledge enables me to lead by example and assist others whenever the opportunity presents itself. I practiced this while studying in school as an executive member of my fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon. My drive to achieve results through reason and logic gave fruit to much success during my term. The love and care I invested into my fraternity was returned ten-fold from my brothers. Thus, being a part of a community is engrained in my being. So to be accepted as part of the Global Rotation Program is a great honor. I look forward to the opportunity to meet all of you involved and strengthen the bonds of this program.
I am an optimist. I think in terms of possibilities and I often find myself thinking about what my life could be in the future. These thoughts motivate and energize me to meet my goals, which I meticulously plan ahead and then pinpoint the order I need to accomplish them in. As focused as I may sound, I keep an open mind and welcome many people, culture, and ideas into my life. My family has hosted foreign students in our home since I was four years old. I have many friends around the world and have had the opportunity to visit a number of them. I have also studied robotics abroad in Singapore and traveled much of Southeast Asia. My interest in culture, language, and people leads me to new and fascinating discoveries that help me create new possibilities and paths for the future. If you happen to have the same visionary mindset, I welcome you to join me for a drink sometime. I am always open to discuss the ideas of the future and bring them into reality.
So considering everything I have told so far, it should be clear that I am comfortable travelling to new places. Even if it means leaving San Diego to live in the cold, cold East Coast. I can only imagine how much colder it will be in Sweden… Luckily I will have had a year in Connecticut to get used to the lower temperatures and collect some warmer clothes too!
Drumbeat…
The correct answer is Florence!
I’m starting at the Driveline site, outside of Florence, the 9th of April. I will be part of the Supply Chain department and I have two projects. In the first one, I will implement a software in production, which the operators can use to order material. The other one includes implementation of self-driven tow trains. I’m very excited for the things that will come and it will be very interesting to work within the Driveline division since I believe it will be very different compared to Aerospace.
I had a great time in Trollhättan and I got the opportunity to do so many things that I will never have the chance to do again. I will miss my beloved graduate group and all nice co-workers who have welcomed me with open arms. Let’s hope that the Italians are as nice as everyone here. ☺
I promise to write a blog post from Italy!
Take care!
/Signe
My time as a Global Graduate is coming to an end. I will be finished with my assignment in Trollhättan this week and will be going back to Cincinnati to start in my new position as a manufacturing engineer. It is a bittersweet end to my time as a trainee and my time in Sweden. All I can say is that the past 18 months as a trainee and 6 months in Sweden have gone by so fast but will be unforgettable.
The end to the trainee program is an end to 18 months of hard work, adapting to new situations, and working with all new people. The first year in Cincinnati was filled with demanding positions and great learning opportunities. The last 6 months in Sweden has been filled with learning experiences and adventures. Returning to my home site I have so much to share from my experiences as a trainee.
For me, besides one other activity week trip to the United Kingdom, I had never traveled outside the United States, so going to live in another country was a brand new experience. Despite being in Sweden during winter, which I have been told by multiple people over my time here is the worst time to be here, I have really enjoyed my time living here. It has been interesting from the culture experiences of the kräftskiva and Julfest, to the travel around the country to places such as Kiruna, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Fjällbacka. It has been delicious getting to try the Swedish food from meatballs, lingonberries, and reindeer to Swedish pancakes. I always look forward to fika since moving to Sweden, especially Fredagsfika. It has also been a lot of fun learning how to play innebandy. I have never played before (or even a similar sport) but I enjoyed getting to play as many times as I could with my co-workers at the GKN gym.
The best part of being a trainee for me has been the friendships with all of the other trainees I have met. The GKN Global Graduate program has been full of great memories with my fellow trainees from work to vacations, and from the activity weeks to after works. I will forever remember the experiences such as jumping into the freezing cold sea while in Stockholm, traveling around Europe during our activity week with all kinds of crazy weather, my ski weekend in Hemsedal, my trip up to Kiruna to see the Northern Lights, and so many other memories this past 6 months. The time I have spent with all the trainees is truly memorable and I look forward to any opportunities to work with them in the future.
Josh