Internships, Lab Work and Volleyball: How a Grad Developed Skills at NJIT

Carson Williams is returning to his native Texas after earning a master’s in engineering management at New Jersey Institute of Technology, a year after he earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering there.

He feels thoroughly prepared for his associate account representative role at Daikin Applied, an HVAC systems manufacturer in Austin. Why? Because he developed a broad range of skills in a series of experiences on and off campus, both as a grad student and undergraduate.

Work and teamwork 

As an intern at LB Electric Co., Williams was part of a team of contractors that built NJIT’s Maple Hall dormitory, which opened in August 2022. A year later, he moved in as graduate student and lived there for two semesters.

As an undergraduate assistant at NJIT’s Laboratory for the Mechanics of Advanced Materials, Williams tested amorphous polymers, using his CAD skills in the process.

In a year-long internship at HelpMeSee, a global nonprofit dedicated to eradicating blindness caused by cataracts, Williams rebuilt an old simulator by stripping it down to its frame and installing all new parts.

Finally, as a middle blocker on the men’s volleyball team, Williams made friends, mentored teammates and became a captain in a sport that requires preparation, attention to detail, creativity and split-second reactions. “The game is also extremely mental in terms of having fortitude and preparing and adapting a game plan,” he said.

Community support

Williams grew up in Allen, a suburb north of Dallas. So, living in Newark — New Jersey’s largest city — 1,500 miles from home, was a challenge at first. Quickly, however, he felt embraced by a supportive and tight-knit community of Highlanders, particularly in athletics.

“My teammates, the majority of whom were from other states or even abroad, were a huge help in my adjustment,” Williams explained. “I eventually discovered how to appreciate the variances, such the climate and pace of life.”

Now, as he readies for his first job out of graduate school, he remembers the best advice he received from a professor, Trivikrama Reddy, an adjunct instructor in mechanical and industrial engineering: constantly rethink what you’re capable of and set goals that push you to your limits.

Good words to live by.