Penn State New Kensington students show off skills, network with future employers

Bryce Eddy knew the New Kensington cat rescue Frankie’s Friends often takes in lots of cats rescued from poor conditions.

So, to take some pressure off Frankie’s team of volunteers, the Harrison native and his Penn State New Kensington classmates James Matus and Heather Shultz decided to put their skills to the test and invent a “more industrial” type of self-cleaning litter box.

They presented their contraption Tuesday during Penn State New Kensington’s research and student engagement expo.

“It definitely gave me a lot of opportunities that I otherwise would not have had,” Eddy said of the expo and the university’s GREAT program, an initiative that aims to prepare students for the workforce.

“From interviewing to networking, it helped me as I’m getting ready to start my professional career,” Eddy said.

The program paid off for Eddy, a senior. He had to look no further than two booths over to see his future employer: Premier Automation of Monroeville.

There stood Justin Dumm, an automation engineer, who was in Eddy’s shoes just five years ago.

Dumm, 27, of Penn Hills graduated from Penn State New Kensington and participated in the student research expo in 2019, his senior year.

Because of the GREAT program, Dumm was able to intern at Premier Automation for three years while he was a student. He was offered a job at Premier upon graduation.

“The school having events like these helped me get the career I have,” Dumm said. “The opportunity to have professionals in the field come in and ask you about your projects — that’s an experience you don’t often get.”

Dumm and some co-workers learned about the feline clean-automated litter box and offered pointers and suggestions, not only from an engineering aspect but also on networking, said Shultz of Lower Burrell.

She also has a job lined up after graduation — as a field service engineer at Eaton Corp. of Warrendale. She attributed the GREAT program at Penn State New Kensington with helping her to secure her first job.

“Events like this are super helpful,” Shultz said. “It helps build skills, and we get advice from employers.”

While Matus of Delmont hasn’t locked down a job yet, he is confident in the skills he learned through Penn State New Kensington and previous internships.

“It gives a whole lot of experience,” Matus said. “The GREAT program provided a leg up to better prepare for the real world.”

The automated litter box was one of more than 45 student presentations displayed at the research expo and career fair, where Penn State New Kensington students and more than 20 employers networked for possible internships or future job opportunities.

The GREAT program is introduced to students in their first year at Penn State New Kensington, said Kayla Carnahan, 19, a freshman from Buffalo Township.

“It’s learning about how to communicate and network,” Carnahan said. “It really helps with building a resume and getting you connected with people.”

Students participate in mock interviews with each other, talk about future careers and practice “elevator pitches,” a minutelong pitch to a prospective employer from a job candidate.

“It’s basic communication with people and learning how to fully present yourself. There’s lots of hands-on practicing,” Carnahan said.

She is hopeful she can follow the successes of Dumm, Eddy, Matus and Shultz.

“Even as a freshman, I’ve gone to a few events and already made connections,” Carnahan said. “It helps starting early.”