The Orange County Bridge |2| Engineering Program is a cohort-based learning community at Saddleback College, Santa Ana College, Cal State Fullerton & UC Irvine that focuses on increasing the participation of unrepresented minorities, women, and veterans in the field of engineering. The program will help participants explore careers in engineering and place them on an academic pathway to become engineers. Recently, Santa Ana College B2E student, Alex Santos had the opportunity to write about his internship experiences with Sandvik Coromant and DMG MORI.
“When in college you ask yourself, ‘What do I want to do? Where do I start? How do I know that all the time I want to devote in this specific field is right for me?’ I had these questions bouncing around in my noggin practically every day. I returned to school with the intention of learning how to machine. Through Santa Ana College I enrolled in the Bridge 2 Engineering program. Cheryl Cobbina and Erick Briggs offered me the help that I needed with school counseling to get on track and how to do well in an interview. The only experience I had was 6 years in the food industry and felt like I would not be able to even get my foot in the door! Erick and Cheryl helped me perfect my portfolio and resume, they reassured me that I would do fine. I walked into the doors of Sandvik Coromant and walked out with a position as the intern!
At Sandvik Coromant, Xuan Tran and Grant Hughson were my mentors. Every member at Sandvik Coromant treated me like an actual worker. They were patient with me and taught me everything I wanted to know about the tools, machines and different job positions in the field of Manufacturing Engineering. I would attend training events where I would not only receive certifications but also get to interact with Engineers, Distributors and experienced machinist all happy to talk about their jobs. My internship ended but I left with a strong set of basic shop knowledge and a good sense of the career I want to follow.
The Bridge 2 Engineering program has been and still is a very big part of my career and without their staff I know things would have been more difficult than they should have to be. If I can say anything to the people that are in my position is do a little bit more research of the school you want to attend. Look into their programs and try to participate as much as you can and don’t let an opportunity pass you by!”
For more information, go to ocbridge2engineering.com
Program made possible by funding from the Department of Labor and the City of Santa Ana. This program is an equal opportunity program. Auxiliary aids and service are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
