This past summer (Summer 2025), Alexa worked as a Sustainable Innovation Intern in Ingredion Incorporated’s Process Innovation and Development team. Ingredion is a global ingredient producer with strong sustainability commitments, which is what originally drew her to the company. Throughout her internship, she researched potential process changes to improve sustainability and value in the pilot plant.
Name: Alexa Wienhoff
Class Year: Class of 2027
Major: Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering
Internship: Ingredion
Internship Location: Bridgewater, NJ
What surprised you most about your internship, research, or project?
It was surprising to see the differences between industry research and academic research. In my experience with undergraduate research, a significant amount of thought is put into experiments to try for meaningful results from each experiment. Industry research is more flexible; it was typical to try out ideas to see what happened. My research at Ingredion also relied on bigger pieces of equipment to model real conditions within manufacturing plants, whereas my undergraduate research at school was always small-scale.
How did the Center for Career Engagement help you prepare for or succeed in this role?
The Center for Career Engagement was essential in helping me succeed in this role. Resources like BigInterview available through the CCE allowed me to feel more comfortable and prepared throughout the interview process. After I received an offer, CCE advisors helped me feel ready to move across the country for the internship by providing information on how students obtain housing and other living needs.
Is there a memorable moment or highlight from your summer that stands out?
The most memorable highlight of my summer was the Intern Capstone, which took place at Ingredion’s headquarters outside of Chicago, IL. Meeting my fellow interns from various locations and functions allowed me to understand many facets of the company and learn from the interesting projects my peers completed. I also had the chance to meet many executive members of the company, including the CEO, and learn from their stories.
The Center for Career Engagement diligently collects data on student participation in various experiential learning opportunities. Students have an opportunity to opt in to participate in one of our student spotlight series, and we are excited to share their experiential learning narrative. Keep an eye out for our next spotlight feature.
Want to be featured for our Student Internship Spotlight? Contact Maria Bruns and share your career experience via WashU Career Insights.
