Hello, my name is Ashley Jones and I am a junior at Wayne State University pursuing a mechanical engineering bachelor's degree. In May 2021, I received my associates degree in engineering from Schoolcraft College with a 3.43 GPA and I just successfully completed my first semester at Wayne State University with a 3.89 GPA. My long-term goal is to have a career in automotive product development, developing vehicles with innovative features that improve people’s lives. Since I was brought home from the hospital in the back of a Ford Mustang, I have been in love with cars. That, and a lifelong love of math and science, led me to take classes in high school such as Small Engines, Intro to Drafting, and Automotive Technology. I also attended the Ford High School Science and Technology Program, attended a Wayne State University Bio-Medical Engineering Camp, and joined the FIRST Robotics Club at my school. Over the last few years, I have been awarded scholarships through Ford Blue Oval STEAM, Automotive Women's Alliance Foundation, American Association of Blacks in Energy, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Schoolcraft College, and Wayne State University. Each scholarship has been a big encouragement and has helped motivate me to succeed. Last year, in addition to the scholarship award, AWAF offered me another extremely valuable opportunity... mentoring. I was assigned an experienced professional engineer from the automotive industry as a mentor. She helped me get connected to the wider AWAF community and invited me to several industry events. In addition, she helped with interviewing and resumé preparation as well as connecting me with people in many different automotive careers. It has been an amazing experience. In 2019, I had my first internship with Ford Motor Company where I enjoyed working with others and problem solving. This past summer, I started working for Performance Driven Workforce as a driver for Ford’s Voice of the Customer Fleet. My job there is to evaluate performance, new technology, and to understand how the vehicle ages. I’ve driven Broncos, electric Transits, F-150s, and more. I really love evaluating brand new launch vehicles and have continued to work that position part time during the school year. I am excited to share that I recently accepted an internship offer from Ford Motor Company in Product Development for summer 2022. The way I hope to have a positive impact on the world through my studies and pending career is by developing desirable electric vehicles attributes that will increase consumer demand for them. That will be critical considering President Biden’s executive order for half of vehicles produced to be electric by 2030. I hope to use the background I have from my job experiences along with my engineering knowledge from my classes to turn my ideas into reality. My goal is to contribute to a world where electric vehicles are the norm and global emissions are greatly reduced.

The 360-degree camera offered in some new vehicles is my favorite tech invention of the last 10 years. This innovation uses images from multiple cameras to generate one aerial view of the vehicle. The reason I know about this is because of my job driving Ford vehicles. My job is to evaluate performance, new technology, and to understand how the vehicle ages. I’ve driven Broncos, Transits, F-150s, and more. Some of these vehicles are equipped with parking assistance, the 360-degree camera, and other driver assist features. I’ve experienced first hand how beneficial the 360-degree camera is when parking and know it also is a great safety feature. Having the 360-degree camera makes parking a breeze. For instance, when you pull into a parking spot, the camera allows you to see if you’re in between the lines without having to open your door. Without it, it is really hard to know if you are in the parking spot correctly, especially in a big vehicle. The 360-degree camera also helps you avoid hitting the vehicle next to you when you’re backing out. When I was driving a huge Transit cargo van, I noticed that the 360-degree camera was the most helpful feature. It’s even harder to park and navigate in a big vehicle because of the turning radius and limited visibility. The camera really helped me understand how close I was to other objects like a sidewalk or another vehicle. Another great benefit of the 360-degree camera is improving personal safety. Imagine you're sitting in your car after going into the store and you're looking up directions on your phone. Because the arial view is on the screen of your car, you would be able to see if anyone is creeping around your vehicle and trying to open your door. You would be aware sooner and could lock your door and honk your horn to scare the person away. I've noticed that without the 360-degree camera, It's harder and more stressful to park and make sure that I don’t hit anything. I believe with this invention, people who have never felt comfortable driving big vehicles, but have always wanted to, could feel confident driving them because they would be able to see exactly how close they are to any object. I hope in the future all vehicles have the 360-degree cameras and they evolve to be an even greater asset. One thing I hope to contribute to the world through my studies and pending career is creating vehicle features that improve the driving experience. I also want to help develop desirable electric vehicles attributes that will increase demand for them. That will be critical considering President Biden’s executive order for half of vehicles produced to be electric by 2030. I hope to use the background I have from my job along with my engineering knowledge from my classes to turn my ideas into reality. Features like the 360 degree camera inspire me to continue work towards my goals. These kinds of innovations help build people’s confidence in their driving skills along with preventing accidents. I hope to contribute to a world where electric vehicles are the norm and global emissions are reduced.