With an interest in chemistry and math, a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering was a natural pursuit for Skyler Parker.
But she chose to earn that degree at The University of Toledo because of the College of Engineering’s co-op program.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2023 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at fall commencement.
“Due to the requirement of at least three co-ops/internships, I knew I would graduate with at least a year’s worth of job experience,” said Parker, who is graduating Saturday, Dec. 16. “Throughout my time here, I was able to take advantage of the co-op program by completing five internships with Marathon Petroleum.”
Parker’s co-ops with Marathon included working in three different departments: controls, technical services and environmental. The ability to try out a wide range of departments helped her learn different skill sets and decide which department would be the best fit after graduation.
Parker also had the chance to intern in both the Marathon Petroleum headquarters in Findlay and two different refineries located in Detroit and Mandan, North Dakota.
“This past summer, I wrapped up my fifth internship with Marathon Petroleum Corp,” she said. “Throughout my experiences at Marathon, I worked in health environment, safety and security, process controls and technical services. I was also given the opportunity to relocate to Mandan, North Dakota, for one of my internships and I traveled to New Mexico to fly fish as a team-building exercise while working at Marathon’s headquarters in Findlay.
“My journey with Marathon is not finished, as I will be starting a full-time position as a tech service engineer in Detroit this January.”
Skyler Parker had five internships with Marathon Petroleum as a student, and in January will join the company’s Detroit refinery as a tech service engineer.
What Parker did not expect at The University of Toledo was that she would have the opportunity to begin an undergraduate research career during her freshman year. She began her research with Dr. Maria Coleman, professor and chair of the Chemical Engineering Department and director of the Polymer Institute.
“Over the past four years in the Polymer Institute, located in the College of Engineering, I worked on completing solubility tests to gather more data on glycolysis,” she said. “This past summer I completed virtual research while in North Dakota. I worked on creating glycolysis, large-scale simulation. This fall, I am continuing to build out the glycolysis simulation and am working to create an economic analysis. Once this is complete, my work will be published in one of the graduate students’ theses at the Polymer Institute.”
“Researching as an undergraduate allowed me to better my connections by working directly with Dr. Maria Coleman [a professor and chair of the Chemical Engineering Department] and with the chemical engineering graduate faculty. It has also given me the opportunity to apply my courses to real-world problems we are still working to solve.”
Coleman replied, “Skyler is an academically amazing student: strong in her co-ops and active in research since she was a freshman. But Skyler’s best traits are her commitment, focus and energy, which are apparent in anything she determines to try. I look forward to hearing all about her future successes.”
As her time as a Rocket comes to an end, Parker offered thanks to The University of Toledo and the College of Engineering for helping her excel as a chemical engineering student and providing opportunities for her career.
“Not only has UToledo helped me secure my full-time position with Marathon Petroleum but it also allowed me to gain leadership experience through the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student organization. I have been involved in this organization since I started my first semester, and I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Boston, Phoenix, Chicago and Orlando to participate in conferences with AIChE. Throughout my involvement with AIChE, I’ve been president, secretary and vice president of activities. I’ve also had the opportunity to network with different student organizations and companies.
“I am looking forward to continuing to grow and learn while working at Marathon full-time,” Parker added. “Thank you to everyone who has helped me throughout the past two years to achieve this goal.”
