Leaving the Philippines to study at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been an enriching experience for Yelena Elysia Estepa, kickstarting her career in the UK.
Having graduated last week with a Mechanical Engineering BEng (Hons) degree, and a prestigious prize in recognition of her hard work from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Yelena is all set to start a graduate job at Bentley Motors in October.
As a graduate trainee in whole vehicle validation and verification, the role will build on the year-long placement Yelena enjoyed at Betley Motors as part of her degree, which earned her the company’s Best Industrial Placement of the Year Award.
“I won the award in recognition of my contribution to the business through the projects I worked on and it really boosted my status, proving I was a valuable employee,” said the 23-year-old.
“Last month I was invited on a site visit where I met my new manager and team, and was included in their monthly meeting. I’m really excited to start my graduate job, especially because a lot of the testing I’ll be doing will require me to drive the Bentleys too.”
During her placement year, Yelena was part of the team responsible for monitoring the quality of luxury cars on the company’s continental assembly line, making good use of the knowledge she gained during the first two years of her degree.
She said: “My team was responsible for the assembly line that produces the Flying Spur, Continental GT, and Continental GTC. My job involved checking that the quality of the cars was up to standard, making sure that issues from road test and paint damage were investigated and solved.”
Yelena counts herself lucky, that, with support from the DMU Careers Team, she landed a placement in a role where her mechanical engineering studies at DMU were both utilised and developed.
“My placement was a fantastic opportunity. I had no previous engineering work experience and I’m so grateful to have found such a hands-on type of role,” she said.
Currently, Yelena is nearing the end of a three-month placement with LISI AEROSPACE, after completing her dissertation in collaboration with the worldwide manufacturing specialist of aircraft components, thanks to DMU’s industry connections.
She said: “My project focused on enhancing the die life of small-diameter flat thread rolling dies used in titanium fastener production. It involved extensive testing and analysis to identify failure modes and recommend improvements in manufacturing processes within the aerospace industry.
“I’m really proud to have contributed to solving real-world problems in aerospace fastener manufacturing and I look forward to applying these insights and skills in future engineering challenges.”
As well as her industry placements and dissertation collaboration, Yelena is grateful for the many other valuable opportunities she benefitted from during her time at DMU.
“We got to work on a real-life problem from Engineers Without Borders and I was also a member of several student groups such as DMU Racing, where we design and build a single seat racing car that we race at Silverstone in the IMechE Formula Student Competition,” she said.
“I was also a part of the Engineering Society’s committee where we focused on promoting engineering through extra-curricular projects and activities.”
Above all else, Yelena attributes her very ability to even start her university journey in 2020 to DMU.
She said: “As an international student you need a certificate to prove that you have the necessary English language skills to study in the UK, but due to Covid-19, the IELTS and TOEFL testing centres were closed in the Philippines.
“Thankfully, DMU had adapted to the pandemic and provided its own online test that I was able to take. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to start university when I wanted to.
“It’s been an amazing experience at DMU, not only academically and for my careers. I’ve met a lot of good friends on my course who I’ve become really close to.”
Posted on Monday 16 September 2024