About the Author: My name is Jenny, and I’m in my junior year studying Chemical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. This summer I am working in Williams’ Operational Excellence division specifically with Asset Performance and Benchmarking. Working for Williams has been an incredibly valuable experience, and I’m excited to share my journey from college to career.

Upon arriving at Williams in May, I knew I was going to have to dive in head first from the high dive, but I didn’t realize that after a couple jumps I would become comfortable with the butterflies in my stomach that made me queasy when I climbed up the ladder to take another dive. Although the adrenaline and nervous anticipation was there every time, slowly I became comfortable with that feeling – comfortable with the uncomfortable.

During my first week I learned volumes of new information about the natural gas industry and natural gas processing – my first dive. Then, I learned how to program and operate several new software programs the company uses in order to monitor assets – my second dive. Slowly as I gained my footing here at Williams, I realized that no matter what skills I initially possessed, I had the ability to dive into whichever areas they needed me because I was comfortable with learning a new skill set or pursuing an unfamiliar area.

Reflecting over the past ten weeks, I’ve realized that my ability to dive with confidence stems from my team’s investment in my development. Whether a colleague stays late to explain a difficult topic or my mentor dedicates his lunch break to ensuring I have clear vision for my project, it is my team that has encouraged me to succeed.

My colleagues have given me their support thus demonstrating why the Williams culture truly is One Williams. At the end of the day, we are all one company working toward one goal in which every person adds value to the company and deserves to be supported. In hindsight, I realize that while I thought I was diving head first into the deep end, I’m really jumping off with floaties because of the incredible network of support that surrounds me.

Now it’s not so much about the dive as it is trusting in the Williams community and remaining comfortable with the uncomfortable.