Chemical Engineering Co-Op Story: Keurig Dr. Pepper

Hannah Elizabeth Dyal

Chemical Engineering

What company did you intern with and where are they located?

Keurig Dr. Pepper | Essex, VT

How did you identify and apply for your internship? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

I found this co-op position on Handshake in Fall 2023. I was utilizing LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Handshake, and Indeed to find any available summer internships or co-ops.

What was the application process like?

The application process consisted of the main application online, inputting basic academic information, resume, cover letter, and answering a few questions about why I would be a good fit for the company. The second step was a series of video questions - six 5-minute videos to questions I did not know until I clicked the start button (a sort of one-sided interview). Then there was the zoom interview with my future boss after I was selected from the previous step.

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

In my six months at Keurig Dr. Pepper, I not only participated in numerous continuous improvement projects at the factory, but I also personally led several FMEA and site-based projects in waste and downtime reduction. At first this was rather intimidating due to having to lead co-workers over twice my age with far more experience at the factory. However, I approached project leadership with confidence, poise, and humility. The biggest lesson for me was don't be afraid to ask for help when needed and delegate work. In that same vein, ask if the task you assigned is manageable or if more help is needed. Networking throughout the factory was critical, not just with fellow engineers but also with the leadership team, mechanics, and line workers. Sometimes the best insight into machine performance is the person who spends all day on the floor with it and taking the time to develop a relationship with them makes such as difference, making it clear that your goal is to make their workday easier.

Throughout my time at the company, I implemented changes that allowed KDP to save thousands of dollars of lost cups equivalent over the course of a year. Two of the most impactful projects I led were the Markem Labeler FMEA and the Continuous Roll Off replacement. A year ago, Walmart requested that 2 labels rather than 1 be put on the master cases, so two labeler machines were put on the end-of-line robot section. The second labeler was installed upside-down for easier access to line employees. However, due to this orientation, the lid would pop off often, causing the line to stop automatically (downtime is seen as lost cups, since we measure productivity in cups per minute, usually between 400-700). The solution I came up with was to install a latch on all of the upside-down labelers in order to keep them from falling open and stopping the line. I personally dripped, tapped, and installed all of the 24 metal latches for our factory and created a how-to document for other factories to follow suite. Just at the Essex location alone, my changes saved approximately 10,000 k-cups a day (over $26,000 a year).

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

My experience at KDP in Vermont truly allowed me to see what life would be like as an actual adult. Fully on my own in a town I've never been to, knowing nobody there, having to save money for rent, insurance, and groceries with no convenient TigerCard money. The job experience gave me confidence in my academic skillset. Living alone and having to provide for myself provided an event greater benefit of giving me the assurance to know I can thrive and be successful in any city, manage my money wisely, and be a full-fledged functioning adult without any support from my parents.

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

The most surprising aspect to me personally was that my work was far and above easier than my chemical engineering classes at Auburn. The extreme difficulty of Auburn Engineering coursework really helped in allowing anything else to feel easy in comparison. If we can grit it out and survive Thermodynamics 2 or Mathematical Application of Chemical Engineering, we can truly do anything (and this isn't an exaggeration). Whether you use these math skills or not in your work, Auburn Engineering courses instill in you the skill to learn. A crucial skill, to be able to sit down with a topic you know nothing about, and dedicate the time and energy to understand it no matter how intimidating at first. This was the biggest help for me and a skill I will take with me for my future career as a chemical engineer.

Do you have any advice for other students looking for internships like yours?

The freshman version of me would hardly recognize the confidence I have now. Freshman Hannah was intimidated by all of my "smarter" peers, the "impossible" courses, and the "evil" professors. In fact, freshman Hannah was hardly worried by the thought of co-ops at all since she had so much more pressing and current matters to stress about.

If I could give freshman Hannah peace of mind and a bit of advice, I would tell her to take a really deep breath and stop comparing yourself to other people - especially when it comes to grades, classes, internships, and being "on track" or not when it comes to graduating on time. I would tell her that believing in yourself and continuing to try when you feel beaten up from all sides is the most critical thing to remember. Getting a B (or even a C) in a class is not the end of the world and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Instead, stay focused on the end goal. Apply to any and every co-op and internship you want, no matter how "prestigious" the company seems. You could get 50 rejections. All you need is one acceptance. Start making connections now with your peers and your professors. Networking and making a good impression in college and community is so much more important than you could imagine as a freshman. Stay true to yourself, you're on a floating rock, things aren't that deep. Never stop striving for greatness but remember to relax and enjoy the journey!