Cole Chapman ‘ 16 – Before I dive into my wonderful internship, I would like to thank Lilly Endowment, Inc. for the funding that they have given me and that has made this internship possible. I have been at Wabash College for two full years now and this is just one of many examples of the multitude of opportunities that present themselves. My internship came through a last minute connection with a Wabash alumnus. He was looking for an undergraduate student with chemistry experience to help him on a menagerie of different projects. I accepted the position within a day and was hired on at Monument Chemical.
I have been working for Monument Chemical in Indianapolis since the last week of May. The internship is a catch all for Wabash alumnus Matt Kriech. I mostly do data analysis and databasing for Matt, but that involves quite a bit of knowhow about the company and its products. Monument Chemical makes polyols, which make up everything from the soles of your shoes to adhesives. I was brought in and from day one could tell that Monument was different. I met a lot of higher ups on that day, and had no idea of it at the time. The company runs as if everyone is on the same level, whether you are a manager or a secretary. I didn’t even realize what power Matt had until much later. The atmosphere has been fantastic for an internship such as this.
Not all of this internship has been in Indianapolis. They have a chemical plant down in Kentucky that has been in need of some repair, and the other intern, a lad from Rose-Hulman, and I were charged with some of the renovations. We have made multiple trips down there and made even more connections. This internship has given me the opportunity to meet so many people in the chemistry field. And I owe it all to the connections that Wabash College and Lilly have created for me.
This summer has been a wonderful perspective into the real working world of companies which I had never seen before. I owe it all to Matt Kriech ’00, Wabash College, and of course, Lilly Endowment, Inc.
