Even before she arrived on MSOE’s campus, one might say alumna Megan Kroll ’16 was destined for a successful engineering career. Growing up in Wausau, Wisconsin in a family of engineers, Kroll had an aptitude for both math and science.

“Half of my dad’s family have engineering degrees, so it was a natural fit that I follow in their footsteps,” said Kroll.

When it came time to choose a college, MSOE offered her the best of all worlds. “Not only was MSOE a prestigious engineering school, it also offered me the opportunity play basketball at the next level.” One of her most cherished memories was being a part of the MSOE Raiders Women’s Basketball team. “My freshman year we only won two games, but by senior year we tied for second in the NACC conference.”

During her senior year, Kroll experienced another life-changing opportunity at MSOE’s Career Fair when a representative introduced her to Rexnord Corporation’s Technical Excellence Program (TEP). Rexnord, a manufacturing company headquartered in Milwaukee, offers a 20-month employee training program with four discipline rotations, including manufacturing, application engineering, new product development and testing.

“As an upcoming graduate, the opportunity to explore various disciplines of an engineering career was incredibly enticing and exciting for me,” said Kroll. 

After 15 months in the program, an opportunity arose for Kroll to switch paths into project management. “The career and personal growth that project management has afforded me has been incredible so early in my career,” said Kroll.

Her career at Rexnord has given her the opportunity to lead strategic projects and to manage activities designed to help the company better serve customers. She credits her coursework at MSOE for preparing her with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills she needed for that success.

One of the biggest highlights of her engineering career thus far has been seeing the production unit of the very first project she ever managed. For six months, Kroll’s team worked to deliver a Smart Condition Monitoring System on a large gearbox.

“I recall visiting the shop that afternoon before shipment, just seeing months of concepts, designs, and processes be fulfilled in a physical production unit was incredibly exciting.”

Having accomplished so many early career successes has not stopped Kroll from setting new goals.

“I think that being a servant leader and helping others become the best versions of themselves is a substantial goal in my professional pursuits. Some of the most rewarding parts of my job has been teaching my peers and colleagues,” said Kroll.

“If I can help and empower my peers or others around me to accomplish their goals, that is a career legacy worth achieving.”