For chemical engineering major Rediet Merra Tegegne ’20, her WPI education has led to a fulfilling engineering career and additional Earth-friendly operations role. As part of the Assay Troubleshooting team at biotech company Quanterix Corporation, Tegegne investigates and solves issues related to product performance and process efficacy.
In addition to her work at Quanterix, Tegegne serves as head of operations at Rooted Living, a company founded as a plant-based snack company that produces granola—distributed in entirely compostable packaging. Tegegne helped grow and shape Rooted Living into the expansive company it is today. She shares, “My primary responsibility is to ensure the smooth operation of our processes and to meet the demands of our customers. This involves overseeing various aspects of our supply chain, from sourcing ingredients to collaborating on production planning with our manufacturers, handling sales projections, and navigating all the intricacies in between.”
“My time at WPI was an overall positive and enriching experience that I am very grateful to have had! My best memories are those from my IQP, my time spent with the International Student Council (ISC), and the everyday camaraderie and laughs with friends and classmates”
-Rediet Merra Tegegne ’20
Tegegne, who was born in Ethiopia and raised in both Switzerland and Hungary first learned about WPI from her high school guidance counsellor. “While the school hadn't been on my radar before then, I was drawn to the small campus, the focus on global projects, and the fact that it was a STEM-focused school, as I knew I wanted to study engineering.”
Reflecting on her WPI experience and the positive impact it had on her personal and professional life, Tegegne says, “WPI's project-based learning model is a real mirror to the workings of the professional world—handling multiple projects, collaborating at every turn, and navigating diverse personalities and perspectives. These experiences at WPI laid a solid foundation for my subsequent endeavours. Moreover, the time management skills I cultivated through the great degree of independence granted during my Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) and Major Qualifying Project (MQP) have been instrumental in my ability to juggle managing a full-time job and my work with Rooted Living.”