Fulton engineering students gain hands-on experience in Ford college programs

Arizona State University was named a premier school this week by Ford Motor Company, which actively recruits from its top schools for its summer internship and Ford College Graduate (FCG) programs.

Ford specifically highlighted ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and W. P. Carey School of Business.

“One of the things that makes Fulton Schools such an attractive recruitment source is that students are so active in automotive engineering organizations,” said Ford electrical integration manager Armando C. Chacon, who received his Master of Science in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from ASU and who is part of the designated recruiting team for the university.

“Involvement with programs like Formula SAE gives students opportunities to work in teams and develop problem-solving and leadership skills. ASU’s programs are among the best in terms of recruitment.”

The new designation continues a tradition of Sun Devils being part of Ford’s internship and graduate programs.

Ford Summer Internship Program

The Ford Summer Internship Program provides students with hands-on, career-specific experience during summer break. Students are engaged in networking and educational activities throughout their internship to gain exposure to senior-level management.

Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering has three participants in Ford’s Summer Internship Program — Troy Buhr and Samuel Mokdad, who both will be mechanical engineering seniors this fall, and Michael Thompson, a mechanical engineering doctoral student spending his fourth consecutive summer at Ford operations in Dearborn, Michigan. Three students from ASU's W. P. Carey School of Business programs also are interning at Ford this summer.

Ford College Graduate Program

During the first several years of employment at Ford, FCG participants are rotated through a variety of job assignments designed to strengthen skills and provide rapid exposure to a range of departments. Upon completion of the program, a FCG participant “graduates” and is placed within his or her home department to continue building a career at Ford.

Nicolas Corrales, an ASU 2014 Distinguished Graduate in mechanical engineering who earned his mechanical engineering master’s last year, joined the Ford team in September. He started his rotations with a month on the assembly-line floor, which is standard for all FCG employees, according to Corrales. He is now on his second rotation, which is giving him an opportunity to work in computational fluid dynamics on HVAC systems, an assignment that matches his master’s program.

He’s enjoying his experience so much that he has joined the Ford recruiting team.

“I had a great experience at ASU,” Corrales said, “and see this as a way to continue my connections to the faculty and students.”