Nick Trewhella
Nick Trewhella is a graduate from SVSU. He has two bachelor’s degrees, one in Mechanical Engineering and the second in Engineering Technology Management. Nick currently works in the automotive field. He plans on going back to school to obtain a dual Masters Degree in Business Administration and Constructural Engineering. He is also pursuing a Professional Engineer’s License. From there, he plans to intern and work for a consulting company, and eventually start a business of his own.
SVSU was an ideal choice for Nick for numerous reasons. “Originally, I wanted to go to Michigan State University but went with Saginaw Valley because of the scholarships, class sizes, and housing. I obtained several scholarships from SVSU. The engineering school offered an exceptional program with smaller class sizes that incorporated more professor/student interaction. With this environment, more complex courses can be offered than at bigger universities because many complex courses require more professor involvement than writing up equations and assigning exams. This seemed to be a huge benefit to any student so I made my decision to go to SVSU.”
In the Mechanical Engineering field, jobs are usually found within certain concentration areas. “The Mechanical Engineering program is unique in the sense that a student can take courses that cater to their specific area of interest and concentration rather than taking basic courses that cover all concentrations.”
In response to the Engineering faculty at SVSU, Nick speaks highly of their willingness to help. “All of the faculty in the Engineering program are very helpful. The two professors’ that helped me the most were Dr. Thomas Kullgren and Dr. Enayat Mahajerin. Between these two professors I had six courses. Dr. Kullgren’s style of making students go up in groups to the board to work out problems, discuss solutions, and answer questions is a remarkable way of learning. From those exercises, it made several classes and topics much easier to grasp. Dr. Mahajerin, as all engineer students know, holds every answer to every engineering question. He is very resourceful, and very accessible to his students. The exercises covered in his courses are real life situations, and though they may be challenging and require a lot of time, he always offers plenty of time for explanation so his students could understand the concepts used.”
“A class that was really helpful was Machine Design. The reason I say this is because there was never just one answer to a problem. Many courses have a series of equations that lead to a series of answers and the entire class should come to one, same answer. With this class, the student is required to think of the system as a whole, and consider which changes in design of the system will result in reaching the desired specifications of say a customer for example.”
Outside jobs are an important aspect of the Engineering program because students need to receive on the job experience before they are thrown into the real world. Nick was lucky to get a job that has helped him immensely. “I got a job at an engineering facility that was independent of the school. I learned many things about automotive parts, processing, and timing. Also, the job got my name out there, which helped me develop many connections that will help me in my career.”
As a final statement, Nick has some words of wisdom for future Engineering students: “There are many different fields to go into after graduation. Currently I work in automotive, but have the ability to move to opportunities in other areas such as HVAC, manufacturing, or production. The opportunities are endless, and with many new businesses developing new technologies that cannot be learned in school, many look for new graduates to train in their way of business. Working hard in the program is the key in obtaining all of the opportunities available to you.”