 My first small step was finishing my undergraduate degree here at Purdue, which involved two semesters of undergraduate research. That led me into my second small step, which was deciding to stay at Purdue for graduate school in chemical engineering. And as part of that, I did a 10-month internship externally with ExxonMobil, which allowed me to get that industry experience, that first opportunity to get my feet wet. Coming back to Purdue, to finish that degree, the third small step I took was landing that first industry job. My giant leap was becoming vice president as BP Pivots from a hydrocarbon oil business into an integrated energy company. Kyle Kastraski, PhD, chemical engineering, 2008. I am a Purdue engineer.