When Monica Denis was a student at Notre Dame Preparatory High School, she found she was good at math and science.
Aptitudes like this point to a career in engineering, a fact her mother Denise Denis, General Motors employee, knows well.
‘My mom pushed me into it,? Monica said. ‘It was a good fit.?
Now an engineering student at Kettering University in Flint, she is president of Society of Women Engineers and Student Alumni Council, and works on campus as a resident assistant. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in business administration after graduation.
‘I like to be booked solid ? that’s the way I am,? she said.
The daughter of Denise and Dave Denis, she has two brothers, Chris and Nick. Monica became interested in FIRST Robotics engineering competition when she saw what her older brother Nick was doing with the program.
As a member of Truck Town Thunder team in Pontiac, he was helping to build and operate robots in competition. She joined when she was a sophomore at Notre Dame.
‘It was a lot of fun,? she said. ‘A lot of crunch time at the end.?
In her three years with the high school team, they built robots that threw soccer balls, stacked boxes, and performed other tasks. Monica Denis constructed parts for the robots and worked with the pit crew during competitions.
She learned so much from her experiences with the FIRST team, she started her own at Kettering. The team Metal Muscle, sponsored by automotive and technology companies across the state, including GM, has 22 members from six high schools.
‘It’s going well,? Denis said. ‘It’s a lot of fun and a lot of work.?
One of the best parts of the team is bringing students from different schools together, providing a chance to form friendships they might not have had before, she said.
She chose Kettering for its size and engineering programs.
‘It’s a engineering school that’s small, like my high school ? I like small schools,? she said.
Denis, who is set to graduate next year, earned an Education Foundation Directors Scholarship from Society of Manufacturing Engineers. She is majoring in both mechanical and industrial engineering.
‘I don’t want to limit myself,? she said.
Kettering’s co-op program was the biggest draw for her. Students alternate class instruction with work in the field. Every other semester, she works at General Motors Powertrain plant in Toledo.
There, she rotates departments, working with industrial and plant engineering departments. Responsibilities so far included creating standard operations sheets for transmission sub assembly and main assembly lines, documenting plant and process engineering, and laying out tornado escape routes. She also mapped out points on a Zeiss ultra-accurate measuring machine.
‘I want to be able to improve the efficiency of the company,? she said. ‘Whether it is through shortening standard time on a specific machine, rotating operators to produce the most production per hour, creating the most efficient layout for machinery locations or making sure operations are within ergonomic windows.?
Her co-op experiences with GM should provide a key advantage after graduation, when it comes time to look for a job.
She hopes to turn it into a career with GM, perhaps starting in Toledo but hopefully moving north so that she can return to the Clarkston area.
‘I have family here ? I’m a very family oriented person,? she said.
‘This is where I grew up. I like it here.?