- Name:
- Dominique Friebel
- Major:
- Industrial Engineering with Management Emphasis
- Minor:
- Business Administration
- Year:
- Graduated May 2006
- Home:
- Geneseo, Illinois
I work full time with the Chemical Biological Product Support Integrated Directorate where I have two job functions. The first is that I am a liason between the Joint Program Executive Office and our directorate. I also am working with an Arsenal located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where I help ensure that everything runs smoothly between our directorate and their production to ensure that the Warfighter has the proper chem/bio gear produced on time and able to be available when needed.
The industrial engineering program at UWP focuses on real-world application. You are constantly learning how to apply concepts from class to the real world. Dr. Jinkins has done a great job in teaching us how an engineer can properly manage both people and projects. Dr. Clough has always taught concepts, given examples, then made us apply them. Even though some topics are tough to understand, the professors in the industrial engineering department strongly encourage questions outside of class and are always willing to help.
I attended the Women in Engineering summer camp when I was a sophomore in high school. I was always leaning towards engineering/business, but attending the camp made me aware that by being an engineer, I would have the ability to go into almost any field. After attending camp and deciding that UWP was the college for me, the Women in Engineering mentor program helped reinforce the fact that I wanted to be an industrial engineer. I participated both as a mentee and a mentor in that program. That program is a great forum for encouragement in a non-classroom/open environment. It was so helpful and I think that anyone entering school should get involved with a mentor program. You learn so much from listening to people who have been there and gone through what you are going through.
I have learned that you should always be open to new experiences. I handled my adjustment of not being with my parents by being involved in as much as possible. By being active, you learn to manage your time effectively.
Being a resident assistant in student housing enabled me to meet a lot of great people, both students and faculty. It taught me to "think outside the box" and be more comfortable with things that I did not know too much about. Housing was a wonderful experience.
Most memorable moment would be getting married. I met my husband, Jeff Friebel, my freshman year in college here at UWP. We both lived in Dobson Hall. We both encouraged each other to get involved. Jeff is a mechanical engineer and we have always shared what we are doing with each other. By doing that I feel that, I have learned so much more. He has always challenged me, and I, him. We just got married this past August.