Do you remember the big K'NEX Ferris wheel in the toy store when you were younger? You may not have wondered how it was put together and rotated on its own, but Drexel engineering student Sean O'Brien did — and still does. He sees more than just a small-scale carnival ride; his focus zooms in on the individual pieces and how they make up the structure.
O'Brien's fascination with how things work while using LEGO bricks and K'NEX came at a young age. His eye for detail stuck, from building his own creations to pursuing engineering at Drexel. The idea of real work experience during Drexel Co-op while completing a degree that makes him feel like a kid again sounded like a great choice.
O'Brien selected his co-op at K'NEX and has been exercising his creativity ever since. He helped develop the blast chamber that shoots foam darts in the newly released completely customizable K-FORCE Build and Blast. O'Brien also developed a model that will make it to the final product of Mighty Makers™, the STEM-focused toy line for girls, which were released in fall 2015.
O'Brien knows his experience at K'NEX will lead him to his ultimate goal upon graduation: make people's lives easier, and in turn, make them happy. Even though O'Brien's commute is an hour each way to the K'NEX office, it sounds like this co-op is returning the happiness right back. "The most valuable part isn't the money," says O'Brien. "It's the people I get to work with five days a week who have become my friends."
Sean O'Brien's story isn't the only exciting co-op adventure we have to share with you — read more on This Is Drexel. If engineering piques your interest and you want to learn more, visit the College of Engineering website.