Putting Networking to the Test

It only took one month for Mayuri Patil (MEM ‘25) to realize exactly why Mark Werwath, director of Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program, repeatedly emphasizes the power of networking.  

Werwath routinely stressed that building connections can open new career paths for students. So, weeks after Mayurii arrived in the United States from India, she tested Werwath's theory. The result was a global manufacturing co-op position that morphed into a full-time job. 

Mayuri attended the Society of Women Engineers Conference in October 2024, just after starting the MEM program. On the first day there she saw a booth for Cummins, a global power technology leader best known for designing, manufacturing, distributing, and servicing engines.  

Cummins was on Mayuri’s short list of dream companies to join. She already had engineering experience at some of the company’s competitors and partners, including Caterpillar, Tata Motors, and John Deere. So she waited in line for an opportunity to talk with Cummins representatives and do exactly what Werwath suggested: Network.  

She spoke about her background and career interests. She learned about the company. She built a bond. 

The Cummins team was so impressed it invited Mayuri to officially interview for a co-op position on the second day of the conference. By the time exhibitors began packing up their booths, Mayuri had secured the job. 

“I really thank Professor Mark for this,” Mayuri said. “He kept telling every MEM student that networking goes a very long way to help you get ahead. It was like a mantra that he worked into us.” 

The co-op ran from June 2025 until this February and was located at the company's Jamestown, New York factory.  

Mayuri said having a co-op secured so soon after starting the MEM program was a tremendous relief.  

“Being a master's student is very difficult and sometimes can be very stressful if you don't get into any internships or co-op,” she said. “It all happened very quickly, and after that, I could just focus on my masters.”  

That focus proved valuable for her co-op. In particular, Mayuri credited her Negotiations for Engineers class with helping on the biggest co-op project.  

The project looked at developing a new method to lift the massive engines off the assembly line if they need further inspection. The version in place when Mayuri began her co-op worked, but it was slow and didn’t follow ergonomic best practices. Her mission was to find a new method that was more efficient and safer for line workers. 

Being a better negotiator helped Mayuri talk with the supplier for the solution she helped devise, a solution she witnessed being implemented on the factory floor.  

“It was my last working day in the co-op,” she said. “We did the trials and, fortunately, they were successful, so it was installed and put into use.”  

Her success on that project and throughout her co-op led to her full-time offer. Her new manufacturing engineer job is based at Cummins' Rocky Mount, North Carolina plant.  

From Evanston to New York and now to North Carolina, Mayuri said there's a clear throughline for her journey. For Mayuri—and Werwath—it all goes back to networking. 

“I have made tremendous connections because of my time in the MEM program,” she said. “It is one of the most valuable, important, and unforgettable periods in my life, and I'm going to cherish it forever.”