Natalia Leymaster majored in biochemistry but she ended up getting into production engineering. Here's her story.
Natalia Leymaster, 29, joined Alcoa Davenport Works, which later became Arconic Davenport Works in 2016, as a process improvement engineer.
Around the world, it’s estimated that 420 million people boarded a flight in 2016. Chances are the aluminum in the body of the airplane they flew on was produced by the people of Arconic Davenport Works.
Since it opened in 1948, the Davenport Works aluminum rolling mill has been a leader in providing materials and high-tech aluminum alloys for planes, trains, and automobiles.
Plus, it offers a working life that has a great reputation for employee pride and stability.
That’s why Natalia didn’t miss a beat choosing one of the area’s largest employers after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa in 2013.
It didn’t hurt either that her husband grew up knowing the social impact of the company.
Born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, Natalia attended Colegio Avante Elementary School and graduated from Centro Educativo Patria. She then opted for a two-year community college to figure out what she wanted to do before enrolling in a four-year biomedical engineering degree course at the University of Iowa. Natalia graduated in May 2013.
While studying at Iowa, she worked in a biochemistry lab for four years and did a co-op at CIVCO Medical Solutions for five months. She also did a semester at the University of California, Irvine in the Ph.D. biomedical engineering program.
Natalia admits her biomedical engineering major and work experience in a biochemistry lab hadn’t quite prepared her for work in an assembly production line. But the company’s long tradition of employee development is helping her prepare for a promising future.
Recently, she was promoted to project engineer and selected for a course focused on management, knowledge, cost efficiency, innovation, and budgets for rising mid-level managers.
Natalia hopes to start a family with her husband in the next five years and to continue to learn new skills for the digital era. Her parents still live in Mexico, as do some of her siblings, so she has firsthand exposure to changing locales and different cultures.
