Crosby des Groseilliers, a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, has been named the Spring 2026 Outstanding Co-op Student by the Engineering Career Development Center. As a process engineering co-op student with Essity Professional Hygiene in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, she works within the papermill department.
Essity is a global company, providing hygiene and medical products to over one billion people across 150 countries. As a member of the operations team, des Groseilliers performs routine testing and data analysis, supports plant outages, and contributes to daily discussions regarding production, critical losses and follow-up actions.
“Receiving this award shows me that the work I have done in my co-op has truly been meaningful to the company,” said des Groseilliers. “It reassures me that my projects have value and that I have met, if not exceeded, the expectations set for me.”
Her most notable contribution during her spring co-op rotation was spearheading a contractor job during the company’s annual outage. She also participated in a yield-increase project for the Vario-Split Washer, resulting in nearly $100,000 in savings. If the model she developed sustains itself for a year, it is expected to save the company approximately $1 million.
“She has taken on every task with much enthusiasm, whether it was simple and mundane or highly technical,” said Jackie Britnell, a process engineer and des Groseilliers’ mentor. “She works and communicates well with anyone she encounters, both operators and engineers alike.”
According to des Groseilliers, her favorite part of being a co-op student is working alongside insightful industry professionals while learning to balance the demands of full–time employment. She will complete three co-op rotations with Essity, concluding in summer 2027, through the College’s co-op program. Upon graduation, she hopes to work as a mechanical engineer focused on environmental mitigation in corporate settings.