Ashlyn Spake is a third-year Industrial Engineering major from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since high school, she knew she wanted to be an industrial engineer, but she did not know what type of jobs she could get. This past summer, she interned in the Cyber and Strategic Risks department of Deloitte and will be returning to work full-time upon graduation this May. Ashlyn’s transition from high school to college occurred during COVID which made it even more difficult to build connections and community. She had to learn how to reach out to professors and ask for help even when it felt uncomfortable. The skills she learned throughout her time in college allowed her to be more prepared in an increasingly virtual work environment. Her advice to other students is to not compare yourself to others. Grades and achievements are easy metrics to compare; however, we have to remember that we are all on different educational and life journeys.
