UC co-op student leads project for KY manufacturing firm
The Northern Kentucky Tribune highlights accomplishments of engineering co-op
The Northern Kentucky Tribune profiled a University of Cincinnati student who is making the most of her co-op at a multinational aviation firm.
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science student Vitoria Rezende is working a co-op for Safran Landing Systems Kentucky in Walton, Ky.
Through co-op, or cooperative education, UC students divide the year between classroom instruction and employment at a company in their chosen field. It's a system UC invented in 1906 and has spent more than a century expanding through collaborations with national and international employers.
Today, UC is a leader in co-op, consistently ranking among the top schools for co-op in the the U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Rezende is working for the French company Safran, which makes aircraft landing and braking systems.
The Tribune is a nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism.
According to the Tribune, Rezende spent her first semester in co-op helping to lead a global ergonomic project focused on efficiency and improving worker safety. She is continuing the project in her second co-op rotation, where she helped make improvements in production, including a prototype she presented to management.
“I became very fascinated by the whole challenge,” Rezende told the Tribune. “It sparked something in me, and I really want to take it to the finish line. I worked really hard to present a new design, not only to our leadership team in Walton, but in France and Malaysia, too.”
Rezende, who is from Brazil, said she hopes to pursue a career in project management.
“I am super open-minded and optimistic and embrace every opportunity that comes my way,” she told the Tribune. “I want to make something impactful and leave the world a little better than I found it.”
Featured image at top: UC College of Engineering and Applied Science student Vitoria Rezende is studying aerospace engineering and is working a co-op at an international aviation company. Photo/Pixabay
Related Stories
UC undergraduate collaborates with Swiss university on drone research
December 19, 2025
Prissha Chawla, undergraduate student at the university of Cincinnati, is double majoring in computer science and statistics at the College of Engineering and Applied Science and College of Arts and Sciences. Now preparing to graduate in the spring of 2026, Chawla’s journey at UC has been full of impactful experiences. Since she arrived, she has had the opportunity to participate in a new international exchange program with a university in Switzerland, present at an international conference in Prague, co-op with Delta Air Lines, and much more.
Broad co-opportunities
December 18, 2025
Sakura Adachi exemplifies the Bearcat spirit: she works hard, she gives back and she takes full advantage of the opportunities the University of Cincinnati offers.
UC medical students explore ChatGPT’s ability to support qualitative research
December 18, 2025
Newly published research in the journal Medical Science Educator highlights University of Cincinnati College of Medicine student-led work in medical education and examines how artificial intelligence can assist with qualitative research.