From solitary camper to solid career

“You have to get over your fear of being rejected.”

Aylee Rupert, a Trine University senior from South Bend, Indiana, learned this through a unique opportunity in Wabash County. She discovered so much more than courage and confidence; she found her voice…and her people.

As a college freshman, the design engineering technology major was unsure of her direction, purpose or plan. Perhaps working in robotics in the high peaks of the Rockies would be a good fit, but she saw no clear path to getting there. She shares that she had never really set out on her own, and she felt very much like the child she had known for the past 18 years.

Then, through a post from Trine’s Career Center, she saw a picture of a solitary camper quietly tucked between the trees that captured her attention.

She took a second look, thinking, “This will be a good story if nothing else.”

However, it was far more than just an interesting tale; that second look changed her life.

Fellowship program

The Wabash County Fellowship Program offers free housing, full immersion into the local fabric and a ready-made consortium for students participating in one of their personalized summer internships. Young adults are introduced to the area’s history, connected with small business owners, local leaders and changemakers, ultimately finding their place in the community.

“They put SO much into the experience,” Aylee shares. “They have a mission, and they are on it!”

 What began as a ten-camper village became so much more; Aylee and her nine neighbors found a family. That’s what she loved most about her experience: the people.

The program has a family vibe, full of diversity, generosity, compassion and genuine care. She recalls one night that she was having a medical situation, and her fear was bursting through the metal roof above her. Calling on one of her comrades for transport to the ER, she found a willing and helpful neighbor and a life-long friend.

“We were homies after that,” she shared with a smile.

During her first summer with the program, living in the once-solitary camper, Aylee says she “learned to be an adult.” It was that second summer that helped her “get good at it,” she chuckled.

“This was my first time being out on my own, doing stuff all by myself,” she said.

Life skills

It was this opportunity that taught her how to cook, manage her finances and begin to perfect those life skills that she will take with her into her future. She bought a bike to travel to and from her internship, and, due to the free housing through the program, she was soon able to save enough money to buy her first car.

The housing itself got an upgrade, as well. That lonely camper was her home that first summer, but by the second, the program renovated an old, gothic church into a beautiful living space that was offered, free of charge, to students in the fellowship, turning neighbors into roommates.

As she looks forward to this summer, she has secured a full-time position with the company for which she interned, and she just signed the lease on her new apartment. The gentleman with whom she will be training has plans to retire and bring her on as his replacement.

“I will be working at Wabash MPI Carver once I graduate. I worked with them to design a new accessory product to be sold with their presses, which is currently listed [and is being sold] in their catalogue. I also spent the summer converting [all] the designs they had on 2D CAD software to 3D parts and assemblies,” she said. “As a full-time employee, I will be training with one of their senior engineers and learning everything he knows about both Wabash and Carver presses. I expect to learn a lot about real-world engineering during my time training with him…. Now I have a clear path in life and in the company. I know I’m going to move up.”

Before this opportunity, Aylee admits she struggled with her confidence. She questioned her ability, her plan and her journey.

“Now I know I’m a good engineer!” she said. “My boss saw that and he did everything in his power to build my skills and build me as a person. He told me, ‘We’re betting on you.’ ”

When asked what she would tell her fellow students, she simply said, “It’s just worth it!”

Sometimes the safe option isn’t the option with the biggest reward or return, and Aylee found this to be true. She further encouraged local communities looking to adopt a similar program: “If you want growth, this is how you do it.”

By gathering the right group of forward-thinking, philanthropy-minded community members, big things can happen to secure a positive and prosperous future for a small town.

“You just have to work hard and make it happen,” she said.