Two thousand eleven grad Alex Rink says Notre Dame Prep and International Baccalaureate helped him with college courses and with writing. And his high school gave him a head start with singing, too.
Notre Dame graduate Alex Rink (’11) is in his third year at the University of Michigan, studying mechanical engineering. He’s got his sights set on a career in the automotive industry, planning for an eventual manufacturing position with Ford Motor Co.
It goes without saying that engineering at U-M is a pretty intense and time-consuming major. But for Rink, while challenging at times, his studies at Michigan would have been a lot tougher had it not been for his Notre Dame Prep education and especially NDP’s International Baccalaureate program.
“The high-school classes that most prepared me for my college–level studies are definitely the IB courses I took,” Rink says. “The challenge of those courses, in addition to the research and technical writing I experienced with the extended essay aspect of IB, set me up very well to succeed in my college education.”
Rink’s Notre Dame education and a connection with a fellow alum also led him to some interesting intern work over the past two summers. He met 2000 NDP graduate and Takata Corp. engineer Trent Thiry at one of Notre Dame Alumni Association’s “Traveling Irish Dinners” a couple of years ago in Ann Arbor. Rink says the two of them started to talk “shop” and about their mutual interest in the auto industry. Takata is an automotive supplier with an office in Auburn Hills.
“We spent a while chatting and I ended up interviewing with him for a Takata intern position a few weeks later,” he says. “During my internship at Takata, I worked on the development and testing of automotive safety devices, including airbags and seat belts. I learned quite a bit about the automotive industry as a whole, and I was able to contribute to the designs of products, some of which are now in cars on the road today. It was an invaluable opportunity, and the experience I gained has helped me tremendously in my development as an engineer.”
The Takata experience no doubt helped Rink in landing his next internship, which will be in manufacturing engineering at Ford next summer. “In this position, I expect to work on the development of various manufacturing and assembly processes,” he says. “I plan on learning a lot about manufacturing and the automotive industry—this time from the standpoint of an OEM.”
It hasn’t been all math, science and engineering for Rink since matriculating to Michigan. He’s been a member of the U-M Men’s Glee Club since his freshman year, and he again credits his high school for giving him a head start.
“Some of my favorite memories from NDP are the experiences I had in the Notre Dame Prep Men’s Glee Club with Mr. [David] Fazzini. Although I miss the tradition and camaraderie of that group, I have been able to take those experiences and expand them further with the U-M club.”
And expand them he has—big time! Since signing on with the glee club at Michigan, Rink has traveled and performed throughout the U.S., with a west coast tour coming this spring. “Joining the glee club was one of the best and most important decisions of my college career,” says the bass singer, who also serves on the club’s executive board. “It has offered me countless opportunities to make friends, grow as a leader, engage the community and see the world. One of the most enjoyable experiences was a tour we went on in May of 2012 to China.”
Rink, who rooms on campus with seven other students, including fellow NDP alum Max Gilles (’11), also is a member of The Friars, an a cappella sub-group of the school’s glee club.
He loves to sing, but realizes that it likely only will be an avocation, not his ultimate vocation. His true passion is engineering. “I’ve known that I wanted to be a mechanical engineer since middle school when I found myself consistently interested in how mechanical things work,” Rink says. “The University of Michigan is one of the best universities in the country for engineering, and the fact that I’ve bled maize and blue my whole life is a real bonus.”
Knowing that he probably wouldn’t be in such a sweet spot currently in his young life without all that’s come before, including a great high school education, Rink says it’s vital for him not to forget what got him to that spot. “I feel it’s extremely important to support Notre Dame Prep so that the amazing experiences that allowed me and my classmates to grow and find our passion can be passed on to future students. Our support is pivotal in taking the things we love most about NDP and making them even better!”
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