{"id":28296,"date":"2022-02-11T13:05:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T18:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=24892"},"modified":"2024-04-02T12:08:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T16:08:56","slug":"step-and-senior-design-are-still-this-young-alumnas-favorite-college-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2022\/02\/step-and-senior-design-are-still-this-young-alumnas-favorite-college-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"Ciara Oden ’16: STEP and Senior Design Are Still This Young Alumna’s Favorite College Experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Kamilah Heslop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ciara Oden ’16<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hometown<\/strong>
Greenville, NC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Degrees<\/strong>
B.S. Textile Technology<\/a>, 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job Title<\/strong>
Solution Advisor
SAP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current City<\/strong>
Atlanta, GA

Why did you choose NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/strong>

I chose NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles because of the
Summer Textile Exploration Program<\/a> (STEP). I was one of the few students who was able to explore and learn about NC State and the textiles industry through the program. It was such a fun experience and ultimately sparked my interest in textiles.  
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What activities were you involved in as an NC State student and how did they impact your experience?<\/strong>

Throughout my undergraduate career, I was a group fitness instructor at the
Wellness and Recreation Center<\/a>. My time as an instructor helped me to stay fit but also allowed me to meet and connect with tons of people! Some of whom I am still in contact with today.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some of your fondest memories of being at NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/strong>

My fondest memory is working on
my senior project<\/a> with Professor Russell Gorga<\/a> and Professor Jess Jur. It was an amazing hands-on experience and was a glimpse into the real world.

We were able to travel out of the country to Honduras to view the real-life production of t-shirts. I also loved the freedom that came with working on our senior project. It was definitely a 10\/10 experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ciara
Ciara Oden ’16 worked alongside Kenon Blackwood ’17 and Rachel Foote ’16 on their senior design project, “Causes and Solutions to Torque in Apparel,” sponsored by Gildan Activewear, Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What was your favorite place on campus and why?<\/strong>

The
James B. Hunt, Jr. Library<\/a>. It was the best place to take naps!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who influenced you most during your time at the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/strong>

Professor
Jeff Joines<\/a>. I love how passionate he is about his students and his job. He supported me throughout my entire time as a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be open to change. In college, I had my entire future mapped out. Everything I am doing now is completely different than my plan, but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d
– Ciara Oden \u201916<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How did your education at the Wilson College of Textiles prepare you for what you are doing today?<\/strong>

After graduating, I spent five years in corporate retail where I was able to apply my base knowledge of textiles to my immediate role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there things that you know now that you wished you had known as a student?<\/strong>

Be open to change. In college, I had my entire future mapped out. Needless to say, everything I am doing now is completely different than my original plan, but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe your career path.<\/strong>

I graduated from NC State in 2016. After graduating, I immediately moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I worked at Kohl\u2019s corporate headquarters as a product development coordinator for two years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that time, I moved back to North Carolina to be closer to my family \u2014 where I began working at a smaller company called TTI Global Resources, Inc., which develops and manufactures socks and hosiery. While there, I spent most of my time developing socks for Adidas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stayed at TTI Global for a little under a year before moving to Charlotte to work at Belk\u2019s corporate office as an assistant product manager in the home goods department. There, I designed and developed comforters, pillows, sheets and towels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the pandemic hit, I made the decision to enter the technology industry. In my new role, I serve as a presales solution associate at SAP<\/a>, which is one of the world\u2019s leading producers of software for the management of business processes \u2014 including those used within supply chain management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Ciara\u2019s LinkedIn profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Kamilah Heslop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ciara Oden '16<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hometown<\/strong>
Greenville, NC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Degrees<\/strong>
B.S.
Textile Technology<\/a>, 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Job Title<\/strong>
Solution Advisor
SAP<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current City<\/strong>
Atlanta, GA

Why did you choose NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/strong>

I chose NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles because of the
Summer Textile Exploration Program<\/a> (STEP). I was one of the few students who was able to explore and learn about NC State and the textiles industry through the program. It was such a fun experience and ultimately sparked my interest in textiles.  
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What activities were you involved in as an NC State student and how did they impact your experience?<\/strong>

Throughout my undergraduate career, I was a group fitness instructor at the
Wellness and Recreation Center<\/a>. My time as an instructor helped me to stay fit but also allowed me to meet and connect with tons of people! Some of whom I am still in contact with today.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some of your fondest memories of being at NC State and the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/strong>

My fondest memory is working on
my senior project<\/a> with Professor Russell Gorga<\/a> and Professor Jess Jur. It was an amazing hands-on experience and was a glimpse into the real world.

We were able to travel out of the country to Honduras to view the real-life production of t-shirts. I also loved the freedom that came with working on our senior project. It was definitely a 10\/10 experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ciara
Ciara Oden '16 worked alongside Kenon Blackwood '17 and Rachel Foote '16 on their senior design project, \"Causes and Solutions to Torque in Apparel,\" sponsored by Gildan Activewear, Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What was your favorite place on campus and why?<\/strong>

The
James B. Hunt, Jr. Library<\/a>. It was the best place to take naps!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who influenced you most during your time at the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/strong>

Professor
Jeff Joines<\/a>. I love how passionate he is about his students and his job. He supported me throughout my entire time as a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be open to change. In college, I had my entire future mapped out. Everything I am doing now is completely different than my plan, but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d
- Ciara Oden \u201916<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How did your education at the Wilson College of Textiles prepare you for what you are doing today?<\/strong>

After graduating, I spent five years in corporate retail where I was able to apply my base knowledge of textiles to my immediate role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there things that you know now that you wished you had known as a student?<\/strong>

Be open to change. In college, I had my entire future mapped out. Needless to say, everything I am doing now is completely different than my original plan, but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe your career path.<\/strong>

I graduated from NC State in 2016. After graduating, I immediately moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I worked at Kohl\u2019s corporate headquarters as a product development coordinator for two years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that time, I moved back to North Carolina to be closer to my family \u2014 where I began working at a smaller company called TTI Global Resources, Inc., which develops and manufactures socks and hosiery. While there, I spent most of my time developing socks for Adidas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stayed at TTI Global for a little under a year before moving to Charlotte to work at Belk\u2019s corporate office as an assistant product manager in the home goods department. There, I designed and developed comforters, pillows, sheets and towels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the pandemic hit, I made the decision to enter the technology industry. In my new role, I serve as a presales solution associate at SAP<\/a>, which is one of the world\u2019s leading producers of software for the management of business processes \u2014 including those used within supply chain management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

View Ciara\u2019s LinkedIn profile<\/a>.<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ciara Oden ’16 discovered her love for textiles and NC State after participating in the Wilson College’s Summer Textile Exploration Program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":28297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"displayCategoryID\":2131,\"caption\":\"\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[742,490,479],"tags":[487,1143,697,727,611,1382,507],"class_list":["post-28296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newswire","category-our-people","category-tecs","tag-alumni","tag-department-of-textile-engineering-chemistry-and-science","tag-nc-state","tag-tecs","tag-textile-technology","tag-wilson-college-of-textiles","tag-young-alumni"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"Ciara Oden '16: STEP and Senior Design Are Still This Young Alumna's Favorite College Experiences - 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