Industrial Engineering
Biography
My name is Caroline Czarnecki, and I am an Industrial Engineer in the 2025 Cohort of the Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program (HIBEP). I joined this program to merge my interests in business management and systems thinking with my engineering studies, aiming to gain a comprehensive understanding of how these fields intersect in competitive markets.
Collaborating with peers who approach problem-solving differently has also reinforced my appreciation for communicating my technical and logical viewpoints, respecting others, and contributing creatively in group settings
Community involvement has always been important to me. I grew up in Arlington, Virginia, balancing time between outdoor activities, work, study, and family responsibilities. During high school, I enjoyed organizing school events as student body president, working with digital design software, and building VEX robots through extracurricular clubs. My free time was filled with sports, art projects, and part-time jobs. At the University of Tennessee, I continued this drive by serving as Vice President of the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers and Vice President of Business Development for the Student Space and Technology Association. These roles have allowed me to share the integrated business and engineering perspective I've developed through Heath IBEP.
In my freshman year at the University of Tennessee, I took a design thinking course that captivated me with its innovative problem-solving approach. As I progressed in the HIBEP program, I had the opportunity to work on product and process improvement projects with various companies, applying the project planning skills I acquired from both my design thinking and industrial engineering courses. In the spring of 2023, I took advantage of campus career fairs to secure an internship with Strata-G, where I work as an Industrial Engineering Intern in the project controls division. My role involves assisting with the development of construction and demolition schedules for the Y-12 Security Base. Additionally, I am a project manager for The Office of Innovative Technologies at the University of Tennessee, helping to manage enterprise technology projects around campus.
My current professional goals include earning my Certified Associate in Project Management and graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. Looking ahead, I am considering pursuing both a Master’s in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. I am particularly interested in product and process improvement, as well as exploring opportunities in the disaster relief field.
