Advanced Energy Welcomes Kiersten Hicks as a Motors and Drives Co-op

Advanced Energy is excited to welcome Kiersten Hicks as a motors and drives co-op through NC State University’s Cooperative Education Program. Kiersten was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and grew up primarily in nearby Waxhaw. She is currently in her third year at NC State, where she is studying electrical engineering.

Kiersten has always appreciated hands-on tasks and activities, and that got her interested in engineering. She originally thought about pursuing biomedical engineering but ultimately settled on the electrical side, in part because of its broader focus.

Kiersten learned about Advanced Energy and the co-op opportunity through an event with the American Association of Blacks in Energy, of which she is a scholarship alumna, and they seemed like a great fit. Since joining the motor lab a few weeks ago, she has been quickly learning the ropes about how to organize, align and test motors. She is working closely with a more experienced co-op, Feliks Ciesielski, and the other lab staff. Overall, she will spend three rotations at Advanced Energy, gaining independence and additional responsibilities along the way.

In her spare time, Kiersten enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and airsoft, as well as drawing and writing.

In the future, Kiersten could see herself working with animatronics or pioneering new ways to improve energy efficiency. For now, the co-op program will help her get firsthand experience that she’ll be able to take with her and build on.