What is it like living in Charlotte?
I love Charlotte. It has big-city appeal and a fun night life. I live close to Lake Norman, and enjoy the beauty of the lake immensely. I get to experience a wonderful combination of the small-town life and the big-city life; it's the best of both worlds.

What drew you to AREVA NP Inc.?
I knew AREVA NP Inc. offered great opportunities and I learned a lot about the company when I attended an interview. I love the location and I have been able to learn a lot in my job. I think I am particularly drawn to the fact that there will always be more to learn in this ever-growing and changing industry. It is also nice to know that the things I learn in Steam Generator Team (SGT) will take me to many other jobs within the nuclear field if I ever decide I want a change.

What does a typical day consist of?
My typical day constantly varies. I spend about eight months a year in Charlotte. Those days usually consist of computer-related work, sorting through documents, and technical writing. The remainder of the year I am at a nuclear site. It's a fast paced, hard working environment, but it is incredible to walk through a plant and to see how all of the paperwork I worked on comes into action.

What does AREVA NP Inc. offer that other companies cannot?
AREVA NP Inc. is a great way to step into the nuclear field. The field is dominated by an older generation, but AREVA NP Inc. has opened its doors to college graduates. It is a great opportunity to learn from people who have been in this business for numerous years and to get an early start on understanding what the nuclear field is all about.

What has been your biggest challenge?
At a nuclear outage, the plant is only open for certain number of days, and everything that needs to be done in the plant must be done within those days. I put in a lot of hours and a lot of hard work during outages. It was challenging to keep up the pace towards the end, but it was actually one of my favorite experiences with AREVA NP Inc. thus far.

What does your future at AREVA NP Inc. hold? What are your aspirations?
Next year, I will be traveling to Arkansas to assist in their steam generator replacement, and I am looking forward to that. Beyond SGT, one day I would like to learn about another aspect of AREVA NP Inc., and maybe work with a new group. I have enjoyed getting to know people with different jobs at AREVA NP Inc.

What was your biggest surprise at AREVA NP Inc.?
I was surprised at how encouraging my supervisors and co-workers are.

What is the greatest opportunity you've been given as
an AREVA NP Inc. employee?
This fall, I will be going to South Carolina to help at a Steam Generator replacement outage. I will be working under a new boss for the outage and get to experience a true outage before I go to Arkansas next year. It will be a great opportunity for me to learn about the process and get a feel for the way things are done without venturing too far from home.

What are the dynamics of your group?
SGT is made up of mostly Civil and Mechanical Engineers, with a few Electrical Engineers. Both recent college graduates and females are few and far between, but that only means that the potential for college graduates to advance quickly in their careers at AREVA NP Inc. is great.

Why would you recommend AREVA NP Inc. to others
as a place of employment?
It's certainly a unique environment. You get to learn more than you ever thought you would know about nuclear power plants. It's also a great opportunity to do engineering on paper and then see it happen a few months later.

What kinds of team building events are offered?
I went to Arkansas for an outage not too long after I had joined SGT. Though it wasn't necessarily designed as a team building event, it was a great opportunity to really get to know my co-workers and for them to get to know me. Also, the recruiter who got me interested in this job has been instrumental in introducing me to other people within AREVA NP Inc. who are new-hires. The recruiter and I were even able to take a prospective employee out to dinner together. It is nice to have some contacts outside my group, and to know people with similar interests.