Meenan finds success in CEAT after starting college as marketing major

Friday, December 6, 2024

Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | tanner.holubar@okstate.edu

Alan Meenan will receive a degree in industrial engineering and management from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology this fall.

Although he began his college career as a marketing major, he decided to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become an industrial engineer.   

Meenan, a native of Southlake, Texas, was excited to explore creativity, business strategies and consumer behavior and wanted to delve into all aspects of marketing. He later realized that he had a greater passion for data analysis and problem solving, and after completing most of his marketing degree, he changed majors.   

His mother received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial engineering from Texas A&M University, moving from Panama to the United States to continue her education.   

“Growing up, I saw firsthand how she applied the knowledge from her studies to real-world problems,” Meenan said. “Watching her solve complex challenges made a lasting impression on me and sparked my desire to pursue the same path.”  

He enjoys the critical thinking and analytical skills he has developed as an IEM major and feels that industrial engineers are the engineers of problem solving. He has developed a well-rounded foundation from coursework that includes thermodynamics, physics, statics, fluid mechanics, statistics and engineering economic analysis.   

“This combination of technical and business knowledge equips me to approach challenges holistically and make well-rounded decisions,” he said.   

Meenan will start his first job in March as a consultant with capSpire, a global consulting and solutions company specializing in the commodities and energy industries.   

He will then spend eight weeks during the summer in the company’s Ignite program, which provides training for recent graduates to possess the necessary skills and knowledge to work as a company consultant.   

He has a goal to eventually pursue his MBA after working as a consultant for a few years.  

Rewarding experiences in internships  

Meenan interned at Amazon, Bell Textron and American Airlines, adding strong professional experience to his resume.   

At Amazon, he gained insight into the company’s reputation as a leader in efficiency and profitability. He worked to help improve quality control, implementing process improvements that resulted in the company saving approximately $660,000 annually.  

At Bell Textron, the team he worked with priced military contracts for the U.S. Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Air Force. He helped create a proposal for a preliminary contract proposal for six V-22 naval aircraft.   

“This project was particularly exciting because I used statistical forecasting to predict the future manufacturing costs for the aircraft,” Meenan said. “We presented our proposal to upper management at the end of the summer, and it served as a foundational piece for the official contract that would be submitted to the U.S. government.”  

Meenan developed an autonomous supplier scorecard in Excel while with American Airlines, helping his team evaluate and track supplier performance. He was also grateful to use flight benefits from his internship to visit Panama, his mom’s home country, adding another special experience.  He was able to see his family in the country and update his Panamanian citizenship status, which holds special meaning to his family. 

“Each of these internships has provided invaluable lessons and hands-on experience, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities to contribute to such prominent companies,” Meenan said.  

Finding a home in CEAT  

As a CEAT student, Meenan enjoyed a supportive and motivating environment, which helped him transition from marketing. The challenging coursework pushed him to think more analytically and approach problems from a data-driven perspective.   

He also enjoyed the strong friendships he made with fellow CEAT students. This formed a sense of belonging that helped him stay motivated and engaged as they went through courses together.   

“I am super grateful for the friendships I’ve built, as they have made my time in CEAT even more rewarding and have provided a strong network for academic and professional growth,” Meenan said.   

He was awarded the Professionally Engineering the Future Scholarship and Material Handling Scholarship. He also received the Academic and Leadership Endowed Scholarship from Sigma Chi fraternity.  

He joined Sigma Chi as a freshman, served as the social chair, was a member of the judicial board, and was a member of the philanthropy, public relations and social committees.  

He also worked as a career coach for OSU Career Services, helping other CEAT students. He provided personalized guidance on resumes, interview preparation, job search strategies and gave advice on overall career development.   

“The experience allowed me to build meaningful relationships within the college, exchange insights and support each other in our professional journeys,” he said. “It was a great way to give back to the CEAT community while also having the opportunity to meet more peers and hear their individual stories.”