A Childhood Dream

Roeshawn Daniels ’16 loves being a Chemical Technician at Corning Incorporated. To Roeshawn, her job is a giant game of I-Spy. The answers are hidden all around her and it’s her job to find them.

The Corning, N.Y. native works in the SECTR [Surface Energetics, Chromatography, Thermal Analysis and Rheology] Lab and analyzes the samples that come in for Thermal Analysis, Surface Tension and Contact Angle. 

Roeshawn’s goal is to become an engineer in order to help industries develop new glass compositions. She recently enrolled in the Glass Engineering Science Program at the Alfred University Inamori School of Engineering. By identifying problems in the glass-making process, such as air bubbles, she can create new formulations of glass to better fit the customer’s needs. 

“If air bubbles exist in the glass it means there’s too much air infiltrating the melting process,” said Roeshawn. “I want to help identify where the air is coming from and develop a new process to improve the glass quality.” 

She majored in Chemical Technology at SUNY Corning Community College and was accepted into the Technician Pipeline Program, a collaboration between SUNY CCC and Corning Inc. The TPP guarantees students a full-time technician role at Corning Inc. upon graduation. It also includes job placement during the program, including a $25,000 yearly salary and a two-year scholarship that covers tuition costs.

Roeshawn took full advantage of TPP and gained daily hands-on experience in her desired field while working towards obtaining her associate’s degree.

“The TPP has been a crucial part of my education and life,” said Roeshawn. “I like to say that I am the seed and TPP is the dirt because it provided me with the necessary nourishment for me to bloom into the technician I am today.”

According to Roeshawn, the TPP is the best way for STEM students to learn because they can no longer sit in the comfort of a classroom and depend on professors or lab partners for answers. They must make their own decisions in the lab.

SUNY CCC prepared Roeshawn with the necessary lab skills needed to succeed in the work environment at Corning Inc. She learned how to take detailed notes while conducting experiments, as well as how to create proper lab reports. Her knowledge of different chemical concentrations allowed her more opportunities to work with scientists early on at Corning Inc.  

 “At CCC I learned how to make various concentrations of chemicals in chemistry class, which is important,” said Roeshawn. “If my managers ask me to create a concentration [at Corning Inc.] I can easily complete the task.”

Roeshawn’s interest in a science-related career began when she was 14 years old. She wanted to be able to do something different every day and believes science is at the forefront of the changing world.

"I am living my childhood dream at Corning Inc.," said Roeshawn.