Junior Jesse Everette named Intern of the Year by College of Engineering and Computer Science

Jesse Everette, a junior mechanical engineering major, has interned for nearly two years at the Dayton-Phoenix Group.

Wright State University mechanical engineering major Jesse Everette has been named Intern of the Year by the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The April 10 announcement comes on the heels of a bill sponsored by State Sen. Bill Beagle and passed by the Ohio Senate that would name the second Tuesday of each April “Internship and Co-op Appreciation Day.” Everette, of Tipp City, will be recognized at an awards ceremony April 27.

For nearly two years, Everette has interned at the Dayton-Phoenix Group (DPG) Inc., a Dayton-based company that serves the freight locomotive market and manufactures braking systems, rooftop air conditioners and fan assemblies.

“Jesse is driven, self-confident, pro-actively helpful and smart,” Mike Ayette, the company’s engineering manager, wrote in his nominating letter. “Jesse’s approach to research, testing and evaluation exhibits many of the qualities of a great engineer.”

Ayette said that in addition to working more than 50 hours per week, Everette attends Wright State full time and maintains a 4.0 grade point average.

“Jesse is a perfect example of a high performer that companies have come to expect from WSU,” wrote Ayette.

Everette, a junior, said he always enjoyed working on mechanical things growing up, from making his own toys to working on cars. That led him to pursue mechanical engineering in college.

He said he has gained a tremendous amount of knowledge at Dayton-Phoenix about HVAC and electrical systems, vibration and psychometric testing, and methodologies for developing test fixtures and new products.

“The opportunities at DPG have given me as an intern have been incredible, and I feel that I’ve come a long way since I started,” he said. “Most importantly I’ve learned to function within a team.”

Ayette said Everette has demonstrated an incredible enthusiasm to be part of the Dayton-Phoenix project team.

“His creativity, attention to detail and the relationships he built with other departments enabled the projects to move at a faster pace,” wrote Ayette. “These efforts led to a happier, more productive team. His work with analysis and setup on our vibration table, testing HVAC systems and measuring airflow is a great benefit to Dayton-Phoenix.”

Ayette said Everette has provided the company with many examples of fixtures to test air flow, and he set up new test software and hardware systems, mechanisms, wire racks and prototypes he designed and built with other engineers in the test lab.

“Finally, Jesse has proven himself to be a strong cultural fit here at DPG,” wrote Ayette. “He’s always ready to lend a helping hand to his teammates.”