My Co-op Experience: Part 2

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In the first part of this series I talked about how I acquired my co-op position, and in this post I’ll talk about many of the great experiences I had during my co-op terms.

I worked in two different roles during my co-op, each for about 7 months. In my first role I worked as a Product Developer on adult care products, and in my second role I worked as a Process Engineer on paper towels. These two roles were vastly different, which is something I chose purposely in order to get a broad experience and see different areas of the business (research vs manufacturing). In both of my roles I had the opportunity to work on meaningful projects and take initiative to do things I thought needed to be done. I never felt like I was “just a co-op”, and I was never treated that way either. I felt like I was an equally valued employee contributing important work to my team and to the company as a whole.


Kimberly-Clark is a global consumer products company that primarily produces paper based products. You probably use many products daily made by Kimberly-Clark without even realizing it!
During my time working, I not only learned a ton of information and gained skills that were useful for me in my roles at the company, but I also gained many technical and professional skills that I will be able to continue to apply in the rest of my academic career and professional future as well.


Me at a paper towels manufacturing facility in Oklahoma which I traveled to frequently during my process engineering role.

Both of my co-op experiences took place in Neenah, WI, which meant I lived there for over a year. This was a great growth experience for me personally, as I got to learn what it was like to live on my own and be completely independent. During my time outside of work, I was able to get out and explore what the area I was living in had to offer, as well as take many weekend trips to Milwaukee, Chicago, and other nearby destinations. I also made friends with students from other universities, as there were 50-100+ other co-ops in Neenah at any given time throughout the year to meet and do fun things with.


Me with other Kimberly-Clark co-ops before a mud run.

I had an amazing year on co-op and I’m SO glad I decided to go for it despite the fear I had initially.
Now that the year is over though, I am thrilled to be back on campus and back with my friends and organizations that I missed while I was away.

 Look out for the third and final part of this series, where I share how my co-op experience has impacted my future plans academically and professionally!

-LilyAnn


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