“The Heritage Group has been extremely welcoming. It is special that there is such a directed focus on care for employees. I have always found that familial welcoming and sense of belonging that Heritage prides itself on.”
Teresa Anderson grew up loving to cook and was curious about messing around with different ingredients in the kitchen to make final products. She later graduated from Purdue University in 2020 with a degree in chemical engineering, furthering her love of combining different ingredients to create outcomes.
She began her career at THG as an intern where she spent most of her time in the lab, which allowed her to gain perspective and insight on what aspects of a work environment were important to her. Teresa says, “it gave me a lot of actual exposure to things I was going to be learning in the future and was extremely helpful because of the head start I received. She was exposed to a diversity of mentorship styles and techniques that allowed her to realize what was important for her in a job, and how she responded in different environments.
When she came back as a project engineer in December of 2022, she focused more on design based on the front end of projects than time spent in the lab. She is fascinated with designing
and focusing on the beginning stages of engineering, and loves bridging the gap between what books might tell you compared to what occurs in real life.
“Having been both an intern, and now a young professional, I have seen how The Heritage Group takes time to focus on professional and self-development of every single employee.”
One of prouder moments was Teresa’s work on the battery recycling project. As a technical project, she had to return to her textbooks and perform experiments she did in school. Teresa found it extremely rewarding to use information that she had previously learned in school to understand how projects were making a difference in the world around her.
Teresa speaks on Heritage’s core value of betting on people and discusses her personal experience with mentorship. “Having a strong mentor, or strong support system is vital both as an intern and as a young professional. You are not going to know everything, and while textbooks might be able to teach you a lot, it is incredibly important to have people guide you throughout.”
She urges everybody not to be afraid to ask questions and involved in as many meetings as possible, even if they do not pertain to your expertise. Teresa has found that sitting in on these meetings and having these conversations has allowed her to build relationships with others so that you might be able to provide knowledge, and they might be able to reciprocate by assisting you on certain projects.
“The Heritage Group prides itself on collaboration and working together with others to build each other up and succeed as both individuals, but also for Heritage to succeed as a whole.”
Teresa continues to find joy in the small day-to-day interactions at Heritage. With each day being special and unique, she always finds a conversation or interaction that boosts her mood and that she is constantly grateful for. Teresa reflects on her time at heritage and believes that having a mentor, a strong team, and a collaborative work environment has made learning and working significantly more fun.