‘What I Did on Co-op': Leopard Perspectives from the Field

With the Summer 2026 semester here, the LinkedIn feed has been buzzing with Wentworth Institute of Technology students reflecting on their recent co-op experiences. From the job site to the lab, our Leopards have been sharing the milestones that defined their time in the field.

Here is a look at what just a few of our students have been up to, in their own words.

The Builders

Sophia Lucido (Construction Management '27) | Charter

Reflecting on an eight-month stretch at a former tannery site, Lucido highlighted the technical depth of her role:

"I have expanded my knowledge on site work, specifically dealing with contaminated soils... I've had the opportunity to dive into many tasks such as land surveying, working with GPS and I-machines, and most important of all, making connections and relationships."

Kiera Dempsey (Construction Management '27) | TRAC Builders

While supporting the Brookline Fire Station 4 project, Dempsey leaned into her leadership role within the Wentworth AGC Student Chapter, joining her firm to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity:

"Kiera has been an integral part of the team... building leadership experience and strong connections within the construction industry." - TRAC Builders

Tom Crawford (Construction Management '26) | Dimeo Construction Company

For Crawford, three co-op rotations at the Curtis Apartments project led to a permanent career path:

"I am excited to share that I have accepted a full-time position as a Project Engineer with Dimeo... following my graduation in August 2026. I am incredibly grateful for the hands-on experience, mentorship, and the many lessons that have helped shape my early career."

The Problem Solvers

Dylan Carter (Mechanical Engineering '26) | Fairbanks Morse Defense

Carter helped bridge design and operations work, gaining experience in a high-precision manufacturing environment:

"Learning how to collaborate effectively across teams and departments... allowed me to grow as a person and as an engineer. Having previous experience with the Design Engineering team... allowed me to immediately start contributing to meaningful projects, having a direct impact on operations."

Shelby Tommy (Biomedical Engineering '26) | Applied Research

Tommy's semester was spent at the intersection of healthcare and engineering, developing waveguides for wireless body area networks:

"I designed and modeled the structure... using CST Studio Suite. This rigorous simulation work allowed me to predict and optimize key performance metrics like reflection loss and insertion loss before building the physical prototype."

Lydia Pierce (Mechanical Engineering '27) | Rennscot MFG

Pierce credited her quality engineering rotation with sharpening her technical instincts:

"From designing and fabricating CMM fixtures to conducting manual inspections... I gained valuable insights into quality processes and manufacturing environments. This co-op challenged me to grow as an engineer, and I am excited to carry these skills into future opportunities!"

Joseph Ercolini (Mechanical Engineering '27) | Rogers Foam Corporation

Ercolini utilized advanced fabrication tools to produce parts for commercial and medical applications:

"I was able to learn many different manufacturing techniques that included water jetting and 3D printing. I am very thankful for the experience and knowledge I have gained."

The Digital Architects

Israel Odunaike (Computer Science '27) | School of Computing & Data Sciences

Odunaike's co-op highlighted the enterprise-level work happening right here at Wentworth, where he helped implement a major ServiceNow platform:

"I helped design and build a ServiceNow-based ticketing system to support incident intake, categorization, and routing. This experience gave me the chance to apply my computer science background in a real operational environment while learning more about enterprise platform development."

Colin Mastrocola (Cybersecurity '26) | Boston Properties (BXP)

Working with the BXP Information Security team, Mastrocola gained deep technical exposure across several security domains:

"I gained hands-on experience across a wide range of areas from captive portals to SIEM integrations and learned from an outstanding group of people."

These reflections represent just a small sample of the professional growth happening across the Wentworth community. Whether they are securing digital infrastructure or managing complex construction sites, our students are proving that they don't just wait for the future-they build it.

"This experience allowed me to apply what I've learned at Wentworth to a real-world engineering environment while growing both technically and professionally." - Lydia Pierce ('27)

Share your co-op experience with us! Click this Vocal Video link to briefly tell us what made your co-op special.