Youngstown State University is primarily a commuter student campus, where 85% of engineering students live at home, have part-time or full-time employment, and must balance other responsibilities outside of their academics. The National Science Foundation (NSF) S-STEM program recognizes the unique challenges commuters face and awarded YSU the largest grant the university has ever received in 2020 to support these students. The program established by Dr. Cory Brozina and his team is called “Developing and Encouraging Engineering Professionals - Commuters (YSU-DEEP-C)” and seeks to contribute to the educational success of academically talented commuter students by increasing integration into the university-setting academically, socially, and professionally.  

Five juniors and six sophomores comprise the first two cohorts of this program. They represent the disciplines of Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering. Over the past few years, this group has participated in professional development and academic enrichment activities that have contributed significantly to research data on academic success. 

This month, we'll highlight the 6 sophomores in the program. Check back next month to read about the juniors!

Acknowledgment 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 2030894 within the S-STEM program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 

Juniors

Adam Machi

Adam Machi is a junior Civil Engineering student whose interests lie in studying highway and structural engineering. His past work experience includes a summer internship at the Cafaro Company. As an intern, Adam focused on AutoCAD, updating the drawings for Cafaro’s various properties around the country. He was also able to gain exposure to different departments within the company, including legal, marketing, and operations. One of Adam’s most notable projects during his internship experience was creating the utilities drawing for a Raising Canes that is now in development. 

Adam aspires to have a career where he will be able to impact people’s daily lives with his work. 
Outside of school and his job at Harbor Freight, he enjoys playing disc golf, going to the gym, walking his dogs, and watching football. When asked about the benefits of the DEEP-C program, Adam said he values the “opportunity to really get to know my mentor and professor Dr. Rick.”
 

Brett Tyree

Brett Tyree is a junior student in Civil Engineering. He is passionate about studying transportation engineering with a special interest in the legal and political aspects of the discipline. His goal is to pursue a master’s degree in Urban Planning, eventually working in a career that will allow him to address nationwide public transport needs to connect cities across the United States. Brett currently works at Steelite International’s North America warehouse in New Castle, PA as part-time warehouse support. When reflecting on what he has learned through this work experience, he said, “This job has helped me understand the true logistics of how everyday items arrive at our doorstep, and the vast scale of doing so.”

Brett loves to travel and getting the opportunity to see and experience other parts of the world. This past summer he traveled to San Francisco and hiked Yosemite National Park. Outside of school, Brett enjoys playing video games with friends at home in New Castle, PA and afar in California. Brett says DEEP-C has helped him “not only by the interaction with my peers from it, but also the opportunities it’s offered. To cite one, the résumé workshops we’ve had greatly helped me figure out what parts needed changed badly.”
 

Jackson Johnson

Jackson Johnson is a junior Mechanical Engineering student whose passion is baseball. He is an active player on the men’s baseball team at YSU and works to balance his rigorous athletics schedule with the demands of working toward an engineering degree. While reflecting on his undergraduate experience, Jack said, “Being a baseball player here at YSU comes with its own challenges, waking up early, going to team lift, going to practice, getting extra reps in, etc. Throw in a challenging career choice such as mechanical engineering, and you have a recipe for disaster if you are not mentally prepared for long hours in class and limited free time.” In regards to his involvement in DEEP-C, he commented, “I enjoy being a part of the program because I get to bounce ideas off of my peers, and I am fortunate enough to have an awesome mentor (Dr. Hazel Marie) to prepare me for the future.”
 

Christine Zheng

Christine Zheng is a junior student in Mechanical Engineering. Within mechanical engineering, she is interested in studying thermodynamics and stress/strain analysis. Her post-graduation goals include working for an automotive company or in the field of semiconductors. Christine has had multiple internships as well as undergraduate research experiences. Her research projects included remotely controlled magnetic bearings and 3-D printing of instrument mouthpieces. Christine has presented her 3-D printing work to the State of Ohio Department of Higher Education, STEM Showcase, and QUEST. 

In her first internship, Christine worked for GPD Group designing and drafting plans for underground fiber optic cables and installing gas and water lines. She is currently an intern at Lyda Engineering Services where she works on designing, drafting, and analyzing cranes, crane girders, foundations, and structural plans. 

On campus, Christine is involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Penguin Baja Racing, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and is the vice president of the Asian Student Involvement Association (ASIA). In her free time, she enjoys working out, playing sports, and learning new instruments. She is also grateful for time spent with friends and family. Christine greatly values the opportunities the DEEP-C program has offered and loves that she has “the opportunity to talk with my mentor and her advice and guidance is greater than any amount of money this world can offer!”
 

Tien Hoang

Tien Hoang is a junior Computer Science student. He is interested in studying software engineering and data science. His favorite class has been Data Structures & Objects because he “really enjoyed learning the theory behind the structures that we use as well as putting them into practice with the projects.” Tien interned for the Civic Innovation Transforming Youngstown (CITY) Internship Program. In this position, Tien worked with Jordan Karim, a design engineer with the city of Youngstown, to create a device that revitalized the sidewalk condition monitoring system. Using collected data, he and his team created a unique sidewalk rating system which they used to create heatmaps that showed the density of each sidewalk rating of the sixth ward.

Outside of classes, Tien works as a peer tutor in the Academic Success Center on campus in addition to working for his family business. He enjoys video games, exercise, and movies/TV shows. When asked about the benefits of his DEEP-C involvement, Tien said, “I think one of the best parts of being in this program is the professional development help that is provided. These things help me prepare for events such as the STEM Expo and just life in general.”  
 

Sophomores

Joseph Benvie

Joseph Benvie is a sophomore student in Civil Engineering interested in studying infrastructure and highway/bridge design. His aspiration is to one day own his own construction firm. Last summer he interned for Nuway Inc. gaining knowledge about different soil types, pipes, the estimation process, and running heavy equipment.  Aside from his studies, Joseph works at Avalon Downtown Pizzeria and is involved in intramural flag football/basketball. He also enjoys watching sports with his friends. Joseph believes “participating in the program has benefited me by allowing me to build relationships with civil engineering faculty members and has helped develop my professional skills.”

Kayla Mathias

Kayla Mathias is a sophomore Civil Engineering student. So far, she has particularly enjoyed studying Statics and Surveying. She is currently in the process of exploring her career options within the Civil Engineering field and has been actively pursuing opportunities for hands on experience. Kayla works at the Math Achievement Center (MAC) on campus as a learning specialist. At this job, she helps provide free drop-in tutoring services for math classes to YSU students. She is involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as well as the YSU Concrete Canoe Competition Team, where her group recently placed second in the nation during the 2022-2023 academic year. She is also a member of the Youngstown Environmental Sustainability Society (YESS). In her free time, Kayla enjoys hiking and hanging out with her friends. In regards to program involvement, she said “DEEP-C has helped me meet fellow engineering students both in my year and in the year ahead of me. The DEEP-C program also helped to inform me about what opportunities are available to me.”

Aiden Chunn

Aiden Chunn is a sophomore student in Mechanical Engineering who is passionate about materials science and engineering communication. His goal is to work in the field of automotive design or additive manufacturing. Since last January, Aiden has been interning for BDI Additive, an additive manufacturing company that specializes in reverse engineering and 3D printing industrial parts. In this role, Aiden has been responsible for inventory management, collecting 3D scan data, creating a filament drying system, and organizing project files and quotes. He also interns for the YSU athletic department. 

Aiden is a member of the YSU Penguin Baja Racing team, an SAE competition team that designs/constructs a vehicle and competes in three competitions a year against universities from all across North America. He is also a member of the Presidential Resident Hall Leaders, a group that gives prospective students tours of campus as well as represents the President of YSU at many university functions. Outside of school and work, he enjoys spending time with his friends and family, working out, and playing intramural sports. Aiden says “Participating in the DEEP-C program has introduced me to great advisors like Dr. Brozina and Dr. Marie who have guided me through my college experience. The program has also taught me the skills I will need to get an internship and have a successful career.”

Cadin Tsvetkoff

Cadin Tsvetkoff is a sophomore student in Mechanical Engineering with an interest in pursuing work in the defense and space field. Cadin has completed work as a Manufacturing Engineering Intern at BWX Technologies Inc. As an intern, she created machine set-up drawings in Solidworks for operators to use when needed. She also edited and revised manufacturing plans to optimize time and efficiency. Finally, she standardized an organization method for a robot welding cell to optimize production, creating a better working environment for the operators. Her organization methods were implemented in the remaining cells following the end of her internship term. 

Cadin is a current member of the YSU Women's Club Soccer Team, Treasurer of the YSU Clay Target Team, and a member of Penguin Baja Racing. She works as a cashier at Rulli Brothers Market and enjoys cycling and being with friends and family during her free time. When reflecting on her experience with the DEEP-C program, Cadin said, “This program has allowed me to gain relationships with people who also commute and are engineering students. This program has also allowed me to gain knowledge in professionalism and gave guidance with school.”

Tyler Long

Tyler Long is a junior student in Electrical Engineering interested in learning about hardware systems in the computer/digital track. Outside of class, Tyler spends time building computers and hopes to pursue a master’s degree following graduation. He works on the Kilcawley Setup Crew on campus and is involved with Club soccer/volleyball as well as the Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity. His hobbies include building computers for others, sports, and playing video games. In reflecting on his programmatic experiences, Tyler said, “DEEP-C has provided new learning opportunities along with help getting an internship.”

Korben Tennefoss

Korben Tennefoss is a sophomore Electrical Engineering student working toward a career in logic/software design or manufacturing with a goal of one day starting his own company. His favorite classes so far have been a C++ programming course called “Programming and Problem Solving” and Calculus 2. Korben has interned for H-P products based in Louisville, Ohio as well as with Tenaris at their Ambridge Pennsylvania location. He currently works on campus in the Office of Alumni Engagement. In this role, he assists staff with mailings and the tracking of alumni data. He also edits the YSU website when needed.

Korben is involved in the YSU Radio Club. He enjoys the collaborative and supportive environment the club offers as well as the opportunity to network with the many other electrical engineering students in the club. For fun, Korben enjoys four-wheeling, kayaking, fishing, swimming, shooting, and throwing knives. Regarding his experiences in the DEEP-C program, Korben reflected, “The program has made me much more professional in how I present myself to employers and has aided me financially in my pursuit of my degree.”