Meet the School of Packaging's 3+2 Program 2024 Cohort
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EmailMeet the inaugural cohort for the School of Packaging's 3+2 Program
The Michigan State University School of Packaging (SoP) is partnering with North Carolina Central University (NCCU), a historically black university (HBCU), to offer the 3+2 Program. This one-of-a-kind degree path is designed to introduce NCCU chemistry majors to the world of Packaging. Admitted students will obtain their undergraduate degrees from NCCU in three years, then their master’s degrees in Packaging from SoP in two years. The partnership includes recruitment, advising and communication between the institutions, connecting the specific departments and units. The agreement will be effective for five years, supporting diversity in education and the packaging profession.
In 2023, Nia Martin and Dionne Mitchell were the first two students admitted to the program. They started by participating in the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP), offered through the Graduate School to help prepare undergraduates for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors and enrichment activities. In fall 2023, they began their 3+2 journeys.
Nia Martin
Nia Martin received her bachelor’s in chemistry from NCCU in May 2024. Her last year of NCCU undergraduate classes were taken online, while she lived on campus at MSU and took classes online to start her master’s program.
“I'm in this really fortunate place where I'm doing both at the same time. I made the intentional choice to have the majority of my classes here be virtual because I wanted to keep my GPA strong at NCCU. So I took virtual classes here to kind of balance it out.”
Martin has become interested in Packaging Design and Design Application. “The class that inspired me was Professor Lee's packaging development technology class where we had to create these packages and then later, bring designs to fruition on the packages and I loved everything about that class. This is exactly the culmination of everything I want to do. It takes my background with chemistry in STEM, and then I'm able to utilize my interest, which is design.”
Martin said she felt fully prepared for the rigors of a graduate program because of her experience at NCCU.
“When I was doing my chemistry degree, I would easily be taking 18 credit hours each year, and that was about five or six classes. So when I got here, I was ready for the master’s level classes.”
So far, Martin said she has enjoyed living in the dorms and working in the graduate space at the School of Packaging.
“Honestly, my favorite thing about being here is probably the other grad students because everyone's from a different place. I was scared about coming to Michigan and not really knowing anyone. But coming into the grad room, and everyone being away from home, it was such a safe space to talk and get to meet people. With the grad orientation at the beginning of this year, I met a lot of grad students that ended up becoming my friends.”
Asked about her advice to those considering this program, Martin said, “I think some people are so caught up in making sure that they're following their exact plan to a tee that it shuts them off from opportunities that might be of more benefit. And in being open minded, you can find something that you didn't even know was in your interest.”
“This opportunity really took me out of my comfort zone, which I'm really thankful for,” Martin added. “I love packaging now, I'm definitely going to pursue a career in it.”
Dionne Mitchell
Dionne Mitchell received her bachelor’s in chemistry from NCCU in May 2024 and plans to receive her master’s from SoP in Spring 2025. Mitchell started her journey at MSU last summer in the SROP program.
“Speaking in front of people, I get really nervous. SROP helped me a lot. I felt like I grew significantly in presenting my research and being able to know what to say.”
Mitchell said that the culture in Packaging has made a difference in her experiences. “The social dynamic here in Packaging specifically is very welcoming and comforting. And that is very important to me, to feel comfortable with the people I'm working with.”
“Dr. Yang is my mentor, but I was also working with Dr. Almenar on one of her graduate student’s projects. That got me acclimated to the faculty in the department, because I was here every day doing research.”
When asked what surprised her about her experience so far, Mitchell said, “In my undergrad research, the project itself was already formed and I just had to perform and do the research. Here, I'm formulating the entire thing and seeing where the niche is, so that's been different.
“Also, in Packaging, you have to learn about the product itself in order to know how to package it, so I feel like I'm learning extra things.”
Over the time Mitchell has been at MSU, her interests have broadened. “I wanted to go into pharmaceuticals. But my project over the summer and the project that I'm going to be working on now is geared towards food packaging and I'm actually finding an interest in that, so my mind is very open. But I do know I want to work in the lab setting.”
As Mitchell is narrowing down her research topic, she is also considering future experiences. “I do plan to try to do an internship in the six months after I finish classes, because I learned at the Career Fair last semester that there were a lot of options for 2025.”
When asked what she would say to other considering the 3+2 Program, Mitchell said, “Packaging is very broad, so you can find a spot because there's so many different paths you could go into.”
