Andrea Jones ’23, Arts and Engineering major (Mechanical Engineering and Product Design)
It all started with a sewing machine.
Andrea Jones was 12 and she wanted to make pillowcases, but sometimes the needle jammed and the machine would just quit. So she’d take it apart, and after a while, she’d figured out the guts of the thing. Soon, she was making bags, skirts, and shirts.
Her interest in solving mechanical mysteries and bringing ideas to life eventually led her to Lehigh’s dual degree program in mechanical engineering and product design and an internship at Air Products. There, she was tasked with conceiving a new way to design heat exchangers for the transport of gas.
“I have to think about the materials I’m going to use, and what the end product will look like,” says Jones. “It’s a good example of how you need to be able to translate your ideas onto paper and present them in a compelling way to your managers.”
She plans to go into industry after graduation, although which industry is another mystery.
“With this degree, I have so many opportunities. I could get a job in mechanical engineering or in product design or in both,” she says. “I’m excited about how I can use my knowledge from Lehigh, integrate it into the real world, and make the world better.”
Next up: Sareena Karim >>
This profile is part of Resolve Magazine's Soaring Together series.
Photography by Douglas Benedict/Academic Image
