FLORIDA| Florida Polytechnic University alumnus Dorian Gray ’20 works hard to ensure the tractors and other equipment produced by global manufacturing company John Deere are correct and adhere to quality standards.
“I make a lot of decisions and do a lot of investigations to solve a lot of problems,” said Gray, who received his degree in mechanical engineering from the University. “I’m kind of depended on to make the right decisions quality-wise in regard to parts.”
Gray works as a quality engineer with John Deere’s tractor cab and assembly operations team at their facilities in Waterloo, Iowa. He joined the company in 2022.
“Every time we had a problem, I wrote down what we did to brainstorm it and then you work on the ideas you crated and apply them and look at the results,” he said. “It’s similar to a problem statement we did a lot in core mechanical engineering classes. It’s the methodology I use to solve a lot of problems on the job.”
Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Gray is excited to be putting his degree to work with one of the world’s most recognizable manufacturers of agricultural and heavy equipment.
“Because I studied mechanical engineering, I learned about things like thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, so if, for example, you have to make a sudden decision on a coolant line, you have an idea of how a coolant line works and how a fuel line would transfer fuel to the engine,” Gray said. “I can tell if something is going to be a big issue by relying on what I learned at Florida Poly.”
As Gray continues to grow in his career as an engineer, he hopes current Florida Poly students can learn from his experiences.
“Students should make those necessary connections before they graduate and separate themselves from the pack,” he said. “When someone sees your resume or your LinkedIn profile, they should be wowed. It shouldn’t be similar to anyone else’s and it should wow the employer you’re hoping to work for.”
