Moving from a city of five million to a town of just 2,500 would be a small culture shock for some, but the opportunity was perfect for Andrew Jasonides. Currently a mechanical engineering student at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, he jumped at the chance for a co-op role at Domtar’s Nekoosa Mill where his brother Lucas is a process engineer.
“From my first week, I was welcomed to projects I thought would be initially beyond the scope of my role, but the collaboration of Nekoosa’s seasoned engineer team boosted my confidence and technical skills,” Andrew said.
His experiences are shared by his fellow co-op teammates, Jayme Weiss and Zoe Kumm, both of whom are mechanical engineering students at Michigan Technological University in Houghton.
Safety & Accountability: Always Top Priorities
Jayme was quick to point out that accountability among the Domtar team is something she noticed right away.
“I learned that when you make a mistake, it is much more of an issue when you don’t address it right away and wait to see the mistake unfold on the mill,” she said. “Taking responsibility and making corrections really helped when working with those around me.”
All three students noticed that safety was prioritized above everything else.
“I witnessed the importance of safety in the mill by seeing safety risks being prioritized over other work orders, which goes to show that safety comes before anything here,” Zoe said. “I was able to aid in the safety culture by creating and updating standard operating procedures for the operators.”
The Value in Coming to Domtar
Andrew, Jayme and Zoe were joined at the mill by four other interns this summer, including Garret Donahue in engineering and Arushi Patil in reliability engineering. Both are students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and were looking to gain confidence and apply their skills in real life.
“I had an interest in the paper industry because my grandfather was an engineer at a mill in India,” Arushi said. “As a student, I enjoy math and physics, and I feel that a career similar to my grandfather’s would be a good crossroads. In learning about Domtar, I was excited to be able to apply my knowledge to a real-life industrial setting.”
Garret grew up near Domtar’s Nekoosa and Rothschild mills. For his internship, he was looking for a challenge, and he says that his wish came true.
“There were projects that did seem difficult for me at first,” Garret said, “but through confidence and Domtar’s values of caring and entrepreneurship, I was able to develop and grow my skills to overcome those challenges and make a difference.”
One of the challenges, he jokes, was joining the mill’s golf league.
“It was tough, but I was fortunately able to hold my own against the other engineers,” he said.
A Proud Intern and Co-Op Program
Each year, the mill hosts a small and mighty group of interns and co-ops. The program has created a pipeline for future hires, as many of Nekoosa’s engineers and supervisors came to the mill through its internship program.
“The class of 2025 is memorable because they really seized the reins in their roles and made themselves a part of the Nekoosa community,” said John Rhodes, manager of human resources. “They have been an important part of our people planning at the mill.”