Cindy Cruz-Rodriguez

Hello! My name is Cindy Cruz-Rodriguez, and I am an Industrial Engineering Student at The University of Texas at Arlington graduating May 2023. Born in Arlington, Texas and raised in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico for my early childhood where I learned Spanish as my first language. Moved back to the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area where I had the opportunity to learn English as my second language and pursue higher education. Throughout my undergraduate track, I've had the opportunity to serve as 2020-2021 President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at The University of Texas at Arlington.

Fun Fact: I'm extremely proud of my two last names as both of my parents instilled perseverance into my approach to life and education.

Why did you choose University of Texas at Arlington?

My interest from the beginning was Industrial Engineering and UT Arlington is one of the few colleges of engineering with an Industrial Engineering degree plan recognized by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) which bring respect to the diploma. I attended a STEM Based high-school and was able to explore various engineering principles and basics of the majors when I quickly realized I enjoyed being able to look at the bigger picture and being able to streamline a process while being a leader.

Tell us about your internship. What organization did you intern with? What did you achieve in your internship?

I am happy to announce that I secured a position as a Summer 2022 Quality and Manufacturing Engineering Intern at General Motors in Lansing Delta Township, Michigan working on the Chevy and Buick Vehicles. Despite the challenge of moving from Dallas, Texas from a dynamic household to Lansing, Michigan, which in the opposite side of the country and a different time zone where I had to acclimate to living alone in an apartment, I quickly settled into a new role and found myself part of an amazing team in a highly collaborative environment. I worked on a range of projects that allowed me to visit many areas of the plant and gain valuable experience in automotive manufacturing.

I was also excited to volunteer with the General Motors Latino Network Employee Resource Group (ERG) Lansing Chapter. I coordinated with the GM Latino Network team their first Loteria social for the cultural immersion series which reached higher than expected attendance. I express gratitude for the opportunity to learn about quality and engineering at the GM LDT plant and the importance of giving back to communities.

At the end of my 13-week internship, I thanked my mentors and the entire Quality department for their support and guidance. I gained practical and technical knowledge about the automobile industry and enjoyed being introduced to the Operational Excellence and GMS training for my projects. I also thanked individuals who allowed me to gain first-hand experience with coordinating technical projects with my internships and GM Latino Network events.

In conclusion, I express my gratitude for the fantastic summer I had and hope to keep in touch with the General Motors Lansing Delta Township Quality Team.