By Wanda Minnick
As a freshman entering college in Fall of 1992, I had no inkling of how my selection of IUP would dramatically impact my life. I majored in Safety Sciences because I was interested in having a positive impact on people's lives.
Safety Sciences is about complying to OSHA regulations, but more important, it is about ensuring a safe and healthful work environment to employees. It is about positively influencing choices at both the corporate level and at the individual level. As a safety professional, the bottom line impact is that your advice, counsel, and influence can literally save a person's life! It is all about leadership–and IUP delivered.
My safety career started when I pursued the summer job postings on the bulletin boards of Johnson Hall toward the end of my junior year. My involvement in the IUP student chapter of ASSE, membership in the safety honor society of Rho Sigma Kappa, and scholarship awards received, demonstrated professionalism. A large energy company hired me as a safety intern. The following summer, I followed suit and searched the postings again. Due to my experience at the energy company, a large international Fortune 500 digital imaging manufacturer hired me for an internship that led to a full-time offer prior to my graduation date. But my pre-graduation experience did not end there.
The outstanding curriculum required an internship for credit experience during my last semester. I worked for four different local companies and my experience continued to grow. I was able to list six companies on my resume thanks to summer jobs and internships-prior to graduation! After spending seven years with the digital imaging manufacturer as a safety engineer, I moved on to another Fortune 500 company that fabricates, paints, and assembles motorcycles as a safety lead.
Recently, I returned to IUP to pursue my doctoral degree, and I now teach on the faculty.
My commitment is to provide the students with foundational knowledge and real world application. My dissertation topic will focus on the value of internship for credit programs that assists students in gaining real world experience prior to graduation. I work among experts in all aspects of safety and health which offers not only a phenomenal learning experience for students but offers a continuous learning experience for faculty.
