When Carlos Aleixo Domingues, now 23, was in high school in Porto Alegre, Brazil, he had no idea what the world of engineering looked like. He just knew that he was very strong in math and very passionate about it.
When a fellow student advised him, “If you like math, you’ve got to choose industrial,” Domingues’ reaction was, “OK, there you go, I found my place. Industrial it is.”
And industrial it continues to be, as Domingues pursues a Master of Science degree in industrial engineering at the University of South Florida (USF) after having just completed his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering at the same school, where he graduated with honors and earned an Outstanding Student Award.
The financial challenges of pursuing two college degrees eased after Domingues received several scholarships, including the 2023–2024 SME Chapter 17 (St. Louis) Scholarship and the SME Florida Suncoast Chapter 159 Student Award. Aware of how competitive scholarships can be, Domingues applied multiple times before earning support from SME, a journey that reminded him of the value of persistence. He then joined the local SME chapter, where he found a community that supported his growth and further inspired his commitment to the field.
Domingues’ educational journey began in his home country of Brazil. After leaving South America during the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved to Missouri, where he enrolled at the University of Missouri in 2021. He was accepted into the College of Engineering and the Honors College and worked part-time at an ergonomics chair manufacturer. While there, Domingues accepted an offer to work in inventory at Ultradyne in Columbia, Missouri.
Domingues later transferred to USF in Tampa, seeking broader career prospects and hands-on industry experience. He expects to graduate in Fall 2027 from his master’s degree program, which he joined due to his interest in researching machine learning and AI.
“I feel like it’s the future and it’s something that people don’t really understand,” he says. “The only way you can study it is by doing research, and I feel like that’s definitely going to help me in manufacturing.”
To date, Domingues has completed several internships, including a four-month summer internship at Ultradyne in 2023, and two four-month summer internships at Cummins Inc., one in 2024 in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and one the following year in Columbus, Indiana.
In addition, he has been invited to return to Cummins for a six-month co-op position as a process engineer ahead of completing his master’s degree.
After that, Domingues says, he’s open to any opportunity. “I really want to work in manufacturing, especially in lean process engineering or quality process engineering. These are my two favorite fields in manufacturing.”
When asked what advice he would give to future college students interested in manufacturing as a career, Domingues says, “Apply for a lot of scholarships and get involved in clubs during your freshman year. One of my biggest regrets is that I worked too much in the beginning, although it wasn’t truly optional — working helped me support my living expenses and tuition.” Because of that experience, he encourages students to find balance when they can and take advantage of opportunities for involvement and mentorship.
