Nicole Holzapfel '21 Joins Lutron as Applications Engineer

Nicole Holzapfel EGRS ’21

Pathway: In her first year, the previous electrical and computer engineering major knew she wanted to work in the electronics industry but wanted to have a more collaborative and fast-paced environment than what she was experiencing in her design courses. After a trip to Gateway, Holzapfel’s career counselor shared with her the career range and success of alumni who had majored in engineering studies, and opened her eyes to the possibilities within this major. An externship during her sophomore year at Acopian Power Supplies confirmed that there were other areas of interest to this young engineer. After making the switch in majors, she took advantage of the career fair and alumni connections to secure a project engineering internship at Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., only to see the opportunity get canceled due to COVID concerns. She then began to engage with an alumnus at Lutron Electronics, a leading manufacturer of energy-saving light, shade, and temperature controls. During the career fair in fall of her senior year, she met with Lutron representatives who were impressed that she had already applied to their Construction Design and Development Program, structured for recent college graduates. Eight hours of interviews later, she is set to start her journey with Lutron this summer on a yearlong rotation through four departments, all while still living on College Hill.

(Excerpted from Lafayette News What’s Next for the Class of 2021, May 26, 2021)