headquarters for General Motors, in the background. Klee completed an internship at
the GM Technical Center about 20 minutes away in Warren, Michigan.
During the first week of classes, the driver’s-side door handle broke off Peter Klee’s
Chevy Equinox.
The Trine University Design Engineering Technology senior had to replace the piece
with one of the passenger-side handles just to get in and out of the SUV.
“It got me through college and was way better than a Ford,” reasoned Klee.
Klee’s preference for General Motors vehicles was solidified following his internship
with GM as an Engineering Design Intern over the summer. He learned of the opening
through a department email from department Chair Thomas Trusty.
“Professor Trusty suggested we reach out to him after we applied so he could put in
a good word for us to his contacts at GM,” said Klee.
Once hired, his major project involved working on the design of an exterior trim piece
for a new generation of Silverado and Sierra trucks. The project required working
in coordination with all the different teams that the part interfaced with. This gave
him firsthand experience with all the stages of the design cycle for the part.
“My favorite part about interning at General Motors was the real-world experience I
was earning each day. Being involved with designing vehicles that will end up on the
road was an incredible opportunity, which made work fun and engaging,” he said. “I
had a lot of responsibility, given I was tasked with working on real components on
the project, but it was very rewarding to know the work I was doing was going toward
creating a world-class GM vehicle.”
In addition to the project, Klee praised the entire GM intern experience.
over the summer.
The organization offered additional activities such as facility tours and guest speakers
from other divisions. For National Intern Day, GM hosted a Q&A session with company
CEO Mary Barra.
As her security team was escorting her out, a fellow intern asked her if she’d pose
for a selfie.
“She agreed, but said she was only going to take one,” said Peter, who was able to
jump in for the shot.
The project itself posed challenges. The design assignment was very fast moving with
hard deadlines. At the same time, Peter had to learn new design software to complete
the task.
“One of the most helpful classes I took at Trine was the Design for Manufacture and
Assembly (DFMA),” he said. “In this class, DETs work alongside electrical engineering
majors to create a product together. The EEs are responsible for the electronics and
the DETs design the plastic casing for the product. This class was helpful because
I learned how interconnected all aspects of a product are, and how communication between
teams and individuals is crucial for a project to succeed.”
At the start of the summer, Klee was advised to treat the internship like a 12-week-long
job interview. He took this to heart, often being one of the first people there and
the last to leave each day. He committed to going the extra mile and was ultimately
able put together a successful design and meet the end-of-summer deadline.
His drive and motivation didn’t go unnoticed. Following Klee’s summer work experience,
GM extended him a full-time offer to return after graduation, which he accepted.
With an exciting career ahead, Klee plans to replace his Equinox with a brand-new
GM Chevy Silverado.
