Jillian Kouzmanoff
I participated in the Exelon Foundation STEM Academy virtually in 2021 and have remained involved ever since. The STEM Academy is a great opportunity to learn more about engineering and hands-on STEM activities while learning all about the different careers and opportunities there are after high school. It was through this STEM Academy that my interest in the engineering aspects of the energy world was ignited. I was grateful to return to the STEM Academy in person as a student staff member in 2022 and help others have the same experience I had when I was a participant.
In 2023, I was graciously awarded the Chris Crane Memorial Scholarship, which has helped me pay for my education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering. This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in my first-ever internship with ComEd, thanks to my scholarship and my time at the STEM Academy. My role was in Reliability Programs, where I assisted with preventative maintenance. Throughout this summer, I not only learned a variety of technical skills but also had the chance to practice essential skills I developed during my time at the STEM Academy, such as networking, collaboration, and innovation.
One of my proudest achievements was creating an automation tool that saves my department over 20 hours of manual labor. This tool is now being showcased at an engineering conference. This experience has continued to benefit me as I start my second year of college, where I continue applying and refining the skills I've learned both during my time at the STEM Academy as well as my studies at UIUC.
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