From a napkin sketch, to the design stage, then on to manufacturing, and finally to market. The opportunity to see the whole project through its lifespan is what made Jacob Stephens want to become a product design and manufacturing engineer.

Jacob was drawn to Grand Valley because of its unique, nationally recognized engineering program.

“You gain a year-and-a-half to two years of industry experience before you graduate,” he says. “We work on projects with industry sponsors that have the potential to develop into products that will go into market and be used throughout the world.”

Since its inception, Grand Valley has embraced collaboration with local industry – creating a curriculum that is industry-inspired, project-based, and requires three semesters of mandatory co-operative, on-site learning.

For Jacob, having these hands-on experiences is making all the difference in his education.

“You gain a year-and-a-half to two years of industry experience before you graduate.”

“Having access to the machine shop, getting trained on the different equipment, and learning what is out there in industry allows you to have the experience you need to build these designs on your own.”

The skills Jacob has learned from being in the engineering program have allowed him to be a lead designer for the project Halloween for the Rest of Us. Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital teamed up with Grand Valley engineering students on this project to build Halloween costumes for children who use power mobility devices.

“They have always been told what costume they were going to have because you do whatever fits around their wheelchair. This gives them an opportunity to pick exactly what they want,” says Jacob.

Reflecting on these opportunities, Jacob shares how grateful he is to donors. Without them he says, “We wouldn’t have the facilities, we wouldn’t have the machinery, we wouldn’t be able to do the projects we do here, and gain the experience that makes Grand Valley students excel in industry.”

Thanks to donors, Grand Valley will be able to better support the university’s growing engineering program with the new Innovation Design Center for Engineering. The 63,000-square-foot facility will provide expanded, flexible project space for engineering students, while also serving as a catalyst for innovative partnerships between the college, companies, and communities.

After graduation, Jacob is looking forward to continuing his education at Grand Valley. Using these new resources, he plans to earn a Master of Science in Engineering and work for a medical device company.

“I’d like my Laker Effect to be creating products, specifically in the medical device industry, that have the potential to change people’s lives or make people’s lives a little bit easier.”