At ARC, we believe a co-op or internship can be more than a temporary role. It can be an opportunity to gain hands-on experience, discover your strengths, and build a foundation for a long-term career. In this blog, we’re highlighting the journey of one of our former co-ops, Clara Wawrzyn, who has since joined ARC full-time as a Product Manager, Mechanical Engineering. We’ll explore her experience, the projects that shaped her perspective, what she’s learned along the way, and her advice for future co-ops and interns.
Clara first heard about ARC through a connection with a former co-op student who spoke highly of the team and company culture. She was particularly drawn to the idea of working at a smaller organization, where she could have her voice heard and take on meaningful responsibility rather than being confined to a narrowly defined role.
That proved to be an important part of her experience. Clara describes ARC’s culture as relaxed and genuine, with coworkers who enjoy working together and care about the collective outcome. She compares the team to a large group project, where everyone brings different skills and works collaboratively toward a shared goal.
The environment also allowed Clara to bring her background in industrial design and usability testing into her engineering work. Rather than viewing her design experience as a limitation, the team recognized it as a strength and gave her opportunities to apply it.
During her co-op, Clara contributed to several hardware projects, including ARC’s tall locker configuration, and helping to design a custom Vocollect headset charging cable.
ARC’s tall locker configuration was particularly impactful. Clara was able to participate in meaningful design decisions and problem-solvings. The experience culminated in a factory visit where she and members of the team built prototypes firsthand.
Seeing a project move from concept and design through to physical assembly gave Clara a new perspective on her work. She saw firsthand how much ownership can be possible at a smaller company, where individuals can follow a product through multiple stages of development.
Her work on the Vocollect cable offered a different lesson: how to adapt design concepts to the realities of manufacturing. Working with electrical engineering and manufacturing partners such as IPS, Clara learned to incorporate feedback and navigate practical constraints like tooling and mold-making.
Together, these experiences helped bridge the gap between the “sky is the limit” approach to design she experienced in school and the precise, highly considered decisions required in professional hardware development.
When the opportunity to return to ARC full-time arose, Clara knew she wanted to continue. She wanted to stay in Philadelphia, enjoyed the collaborative environment, and had developed a strong interest in the engineering-focused work she had experienced during her co-op.
Her time at ARC even influenced her senior thesis, leading her to focus more heavily on machine design and manufacturing.
Today, Clara’s role combines mechanical engineering and product management. Her responsibilities include developing mechanical test plans, researching technologies such as RFID to explore new kiosk capabilities, coordinating with ARC’s manufacturing partner, and writing tickets to align her work with the needs of electrical engineering, sales, and customer service.
Looking ahead, she is especially excited by opportunities in research and development such as exploring new technologies, challenging existing designs, and thinking creatively about how ARC’s products can evolve.
For students and early-career professionals considering a co-op, Clara’s biggest piece of advice is to understand how your work connects to the bigger picture.
Rather than focusing only on completing an assignment, she encourages co-ops to “ask questions, communicate openly, and understand why their work matters.” Knowing how an individual task contributes to the team and the broader business can turn a routine assignment into an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
Clara’s journey demonstrates what that kind of opportunity can look like. She joined ARC as a co-op looking for hands-on experience and a collaborative environment. Along the way, she gained experience across design, engineering, manufacturing, and product development and even discovered a career path that brought her back to ARC full-time.
For ARC, her story is a reminder of the value of investing in early-career talent and giving people the opportunity to take on real challenges. For future co-ops, it’s an example of where that opportunity can lead.
