TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Most freshmen spend their first summer after college hitting the beach or just taking a break. Jaylyn Smith, a rising sophomore biomedical engineering major, spent her summer inside a chemical plant — designing solutions and streamlining processes in a professional engineering environment. 

“Freshmen don’t usually get internships like this, so I jumped at the chance,” Smith said. “Now I feel way more confident going into my sophomore year.” 

Jaylyn Smith stands in front of one of her internship projects. (Photo courtesy of Jaylyn Smith)

Through the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) scholarship, Smith secured the rare internship with Texas Petrochemical (TPC), where she spent 10 weeks learning the pace and precision of corporate engineering. Freshmen rarely receive these opportunities because internships of this caliber usually require advanced coursework and practical experience that first-year students have yet to acquire. 

While the role was not directly tied to biomedical engineering, Smith embraced the opportunity. She developed an automated report for the plant’s demineralization trains — equipment that removes minerals from water — and collaborated with fellow interns to create a visual system for tracking plant trends during morning meetings. 

Morning meetings, she explained, offered a front-row seat to the collaborative problem-solving that drives industrial operations. 

“Everyone had a chance to share updates, list what was wrong and address it immediately,” she said. “It was eye-opening to see how much communication shapes productivity.” 

Why FAMU 

Smith’s journey to Florida A&M University was part family legacy, part personal choice. While her mother attended Prairie View A&M University, much of her mother’s side are proud Rattlers. 

“They all told me, ‘You have to go to FAMU.’ I didn’t want to go just because of that — I wanted to see it for myself,” she said. 

A campus tour sealed the deal, Smith explained especially after learning about the Engineering Living-Learning Community (LLC), which gave her an immediate network of peers. Family living just minutes from campus didn’t hurt either. 

Her ultimate goal is to launch a nonprofit that provides prosthetics to those in need. 

“This year, I want to get more involved with GRIP, an organization focused on medical devices, to build the skills I’ll need for my nonprofit,” she said. 

Prepared for the Future 

Smith credits her first year at FAMU — particularly her LLC experience — with preparing her for her internship. 

“It taught me how to be professional, build my resume, network and, most importantly, to ask for help when I don’t know something,” she said. 

As she looks ahead, Smith is setting her sights on more medically focused internships, particularly in prosthetics and medical research with companies such as Medtronic. 

“All you need is a chance,” she said. “Now that I’ve had one, I’m ready to keep building.” 

Media Contact:

Ashley Flete
Senior Communications Specialist 
ashley1.flete@famu.edu 

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