MARIETTA, OHIO — Kylee Lewis is an Advanced Manufacturing and Integration Technology (AMIT) major who is no stranger to working hard to overcome her struggles and earn her education. Due to having no prior robotic or engineering experience, she is consistently noticing herself having to study harder and put in the extra effort to grasp what she is learning. Lewis’s hard work is already paying off, however, as she has landed internships and other opportunities in her field, and was the only student from a group of six chosen to extend her current internship.
When Lewis graduated from high school, she wasn’t sure of her future plans. Due to this, she decided to start her college education at a more affordable and local institution and found herself at Washington State College of Ohio (WSCO). While at WSCO, she became interested in the AMIT program as she enjoys participating in hands-on activities and decided to make that her major. Lewis has truly found a love for the program and the material she is learning and speaks on what she has found to be the most interesting part so far, “I love working with computer-aided design (CAD) and getting to see my thoughts truly come to life right before my eyes. I also enjoy getting to program robots and see my ideas and work come to life through them as well!”
While Lewis has found many things to love about the AMIT program and the content she’s learning, she has had her share of struggles. When Lewis started her education at WSCO, she had no background in engineering or robotics, unlike many of her peers. This has made Lewis feel somewhat behind in comparison. “These topics I’m learning are all very new to me, as unlike my classmates, I didn’t take robotics or similar courses in high school. There are some topics I have a hard time grasping because of it being so new to me, so I have to focus more and study the material more than my classmates.”
Elizabeth King, adjunct welding professor at WSCO, notices that Lewis has to put in the extra work to understand the content and admires her hard work and determination to do so. “While Kylee is a very smart student, she has to try harder than her classmates to grasp many engineering concepts and principles due to her lack of prior experience.” King also highlights that Lewis is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in her studies, “She always shows up for classes, prepared to learn, and with a positive attitude. She isn’t afraid to put herself out there and ask the questions everyone is thinking, as well as the questions no one else has thought to ask.”
Lewis currently works at the Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers’ Coalition (AOMC) as an intern. There, Lewis works on 3D printing, welding, fabrication, and programming robots. Elizabeth King, who also works full-time at AOMC, speaks on Lewis’s hard work not only paying off in the classroom but at her internship as well, “Through Kylee’s hard work ethic and integrity, she was asked to stay an additional year at that internship. This is quite the honor, as she was the only intern of a cohort of 6 who was asked to do so!”
Lewis believes that a big strength that she has in school and as a student is being able to work well with her peers. “I think a strength I have as a student is working well with my classmates, especially when doing hands-on projects and assignments together. Majoring in this program has helped me a lot with improving my communication skills and getting me out of my comfort zone when it comes to interacting with people.” Due to her engineering knowledge, communication skills, and ability to work well with others, Lewis has also earned an impressive opportunity at WSCO. Lewis is currently the engineer working with and overseeing King’s High School InCERT students who attend WSCO on Fridays, as they work on creating steel caps for the catapult that will be used during the upcoming Pumpkin Chuckin’ event at WSCO.
Lewis is set to graduate from WSCO in Spring 2025 and says that her future plans involve continuing her engineering education through Ohio University’s (OU) articulation agreement with WSCO as well as gaining more work experience. “After my time at WSCO comes to an end, I hope to seamlessly transfer to OU and attend their Engineering Technology Management program. I also hope to earn more internships where I can continue to gain useful work experience as well as learn more about what I would like to do career-wise one day.”
