I sat down with Abbey Hill to talk about how her junior year’s going, especially with a very exciting opportunity to be a part of CECOP. This year, Abbey got accepted into the Civil Engineering Cooperative Program (CECOP)! The program is brand-new to UP and Abbey was one of four students who applied and got accepted. Congratulations, Abbey!
CECOP’s a very good opportunity for engineer students to have two 6 month internships embedded in their college experience. Although this’s the first year for CECOP, UP has had MECOP for multiple years, which is the same type of program designed for other engineering majors, aside from civil engineering. “I have heard great things from the people who did MECOP and it really made me want to try CECOP”, Abbey says. “It was advertised to us, and I thought it would be a great chance for me to get experience!”
The program is helpful for engineering students due to its opportunities for networking, wages, and possibilities for engineering in training time.
Although the program has not started yet, preparations are swiftly being made. “We have class on Mondays to listen to speakers, who often are representative from MECOP and fellow students who are in their internships right now”. The set-up of CECOP is staggered in that the internships take place from summer-fall and the students are back in university classes by the spring semester. For Abbey, this means she needs to look for a place to live only during half of the school year. “I definitely want to live on campus during the two springs, I just have to coordinate how that will all work out” Abbey muses.
MECOP and CECOP are only in Oregon, but in several locations throughout the state. “I am interested in getting the chance to see Southern Oregon,” Abbey says, “but we don’t get to choose. Companies pick us from a profile. Then we go to meet them at an event where we’ll present ourselves to them and after an interview at a later date, we’ll match up”. You can tell from Abbey’s voice that she’s excited to have this opportunity.
To be a part of CECOP in its first year at UP is a dream come true for Abbey. It’s a way for her to further her knowledge of civil engineering through experience, while still continuing her education in the classroom.
Good luck with your big adventure, Abbey! You’ll be doing great things!