Mechanical Engineering Intern, Makai Ocean Engineering

Working at Makai Ocean Engineering was my first real taste of building hardware that had to survive the ocean. I spent most of my time designing and assembling subsea components—taking CAD models from the screen into real parts that needed to fit, seal, and hold up to pressure.

I loved the hands-on nature of the work. There's a different kind of satisfaction when you torque down a final bolt and know that your assembly will spend months underwater doing its job. I also got to see how small process improvements in the shop could add up to meaningful gains in build time and reliability.