Meet Nicholas Schiavo
It is our privilege to introduce Nicholas Schiavo who is doing an internship at Vantage Plastics. Nicholas is a student at Michigan Technological University in the upper peninsula in Houghton, Michigan. Nicholas began his internship on May, 16th of 2022, and will be returning to Michigan Tech in January of 2023 for his final semester before graduating in May of 2023. Nick grew up in nearby Sterling, Michigan where his father Tony, and his mother Carol still live. As he was selecting an internship the proximity to his home was a consideration in addition to knowing a few contemporaries that were also working at Vantage Plastics.
Nick has developed a motto during his internship; “Just say Yes!” He says; “If somebody asks for something just go with it. People are not afraid to teach at Vantage Plastics.” He says he “trusts people to set him off on a good path.” He further says; “I have gotten to work on projects from start to finish. I’ve seen the interactions between sales and design then through the remaining steps leading to manufactured products being shipped out to customers.” Nick has also experienced a face-to-face customer meeting to discuss potential projects and debrief on past performance. Nick likes the internship experience he is having at Vantage Plastics and says; “Vantage has a very big vertical integration with all aspects of plastics processing related to thermoforming and injection molding so I have been able to get a broad set of experiences in the many facets of the company.” He feels that his internship has been an invaluable experience that adds much more context to the academic training he has received within the classroom.
Nick has come full circle with his Vantage plastics experience. He originally came to know about the company while on a visit with his high school during Manufacturing Days. Vantage Plastics has hosted these events for a number of years to expose junior high and high school students to all the great career opportunities that exist in manufacturing. This year Nick was one of the presenters for Manufacturing Day to over 400 students that visited from several local schools. Nick’s presentation was about different plastics, their composition, their physical properties, applications, and their recyclability along with the manufacturing methods used with them.
Nick is very eclectic in his interests and says; “If I get interested in something it gets me focused and then it takes me down some rabbit holes.” He has always been interested in STEM fields but didn’t know exactly what specific area. He started in general engineering at Michigan Tech but developed a liking for chemical engineering where he has majored. Outside of school and work Nick likes being outdoors hiking, camping, fishing, and “Yooper lite hunting” which is looking for rocks along beaches in the Upper Peninsula that glow when exposed to blacklight. He also likes taking saunas two or three times a week which he attributes to having some Finnish family background. Cooking is another pastime and of course, pasties are a specialty given the UP connection. When it comes to the Rubik’s Cube, it became another obsession and he is able to solve it within 20 seconds or so.
While we don’t know if Nick might choose to take a full-time position at Vantage Plastics, we know he has a bright future ahead, and wish him the best of luck in whatever he pursues. Vantage Plastics has provided internship experiences to students since its inception in 1996. While many interns have taken full-time employment with Vantage Plastics and remain with the company some have chosen other employment opportunities. In all cases, these internships help Vantage Plastics fulfill one of its critical missions to form better lives.
At Vantage Plastics, we have the expertise to sort through all the options for the right solution for you. And if your needs are specialized, we can custom design the right solution for the job. Contact Vantage Plastics to get your questions answered.