Where are they now

The Southern University Office of Career Services now offers students the opportunity to develop career building survival skills with its Cooperative Education and Internship Program.
One of the co-op’s success stories belongs to Rukhaya Singleton.
Singleton, a senior electrical engineering major from Baton Rouge, currently works at AdTran Inc in Huntsville, Ala.
Singleton is working in the company’s NetVanta Voice Technologies Division where she is responsible for configuring the 7100 series and 900 series units.
She is also responsible for running manual test on those units, and performs updates whenever new code revisions are released. Singleton also works with the network interface monitor (NIM) and she also works with microprocessors, microcontrollers and many different electronic components.
AdTran Inc, a supplier for the telecommunications market for nearly 20 years, offers engineering and manufacturing products ranging from digital transmission equipment to network routing and Internet security products. The company mission is to offer solutions that maximize network performance, lower costs and help companies achieve the best return on their investments.
“Adtran gives tasks that are beneficial to the company, it is not just busy work,” Singleton said. She credits the co-op program for providing career enhancement skills that cannot be gained by just reading a book. “Not only does being a co-op worker provide career building skills but it also helps the student to experience being out on their own.”
This year marks Singleton’s second term with AdTran.
During her first term, Singleton worked in product qualification where she troubleshooted voice problems for the TA600 series.
She agreed to work with AdTran for three terms in hopes to continue on as a full-time employee. According to its Web site, AdTran offers co-op students assistance with relocation and travel fees, one of the many bonuses.
Deciding to work as a co-op or intern also strengthens a student’s interview skills, Singleton said.
“Always be honest and positive in an interview,” she said.