Meet the Grads, Kimberly Morris: Finding purpose in and out of the classroom

In addition to thriving in the classroom, Morris was an active participant in extracurriculars. She was a member of the WVU Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineering and the WVU Hip Hop Team. She also served as a volunteer math tutor for high school students as part of her capstone project.  

When the pandemic struck in 2020, Morris decided she wanted to expand her horizons by exploring new hobbies and activities, so she decided to give furniture refurbishing a try.  

“I began by refurbishing furniture for my own home and then it slowly expanded to custom work and selling pieces through my online shop,” Morris explained. “This turned into my small business Invidia Vintage, which now focuses on vintage and antique home décor, glassware and furniture.”  

Today, Morris still runs her business and sells both online and in-person at markets in the Morgantown area. She credits the success of her business in part to the principles she learned at the Statler College.  

“In my Industrial Engineering courses, we were taught a lot of skills that help businesses thrive like production planning, manufacturing concepts and quality control,” Morris said. “However, when I started my business, I began running headfirst without taking the time to think about any of my skills as an industrial engineer. As my business grew to a certain point of sales, I realized that this would be my first chance to really incorporate my schoolwork into everyday life. I found it to be an exciting point in by business’s lifespan because it allowed me to operate from a professional standpoint where I could forecast next year's sales or produce my products more efficiently.”  

Although Morris’s business started as a hobby, she plans to continue operating the business simultaneously with her new full-time position after graduation.  

After a successful internship last summer with Carmax, Morris was offered a full-time position with the company as a processing engineer at their home office in Richmond, Virginia.  

“My daily tasks could range from optimizing the car reconditioning process to testing out new tools for mechanics,” said Morris of her new role. “I think the Statler College helped prepare me for this role by emphasizing the importance of incorporating internships and real-world experience into the general curriculum. The Statler College pushed me into the working world and emphasized the importance of learning from both your successes and failures in life.”  

With graduation quickly approaching, Morris reflected on her time as a student at the Statler College and expressed that her fondest memories as a student were those that made her feel like WVU is where she belonged. 

“What I remember most from my time here is the collective effort to make everyone feel at home,” Morris said. “Every semester on the first day of school, the administration does first day of school photos. I originally thought it was a funny thing to do as a 20-year-old, but I realized how sweet it was to be able to send a photo back to my parents and to look back on now. Small efforts like these are things that the faculty may think go unnoticed but mean a lot to many of the students.” 

Morris hopes to inspire the next generation of engineers and encourages them to pursue their passions, whether that be in the classroom or in your free time.  

“If you’re interested in engineering, explore the different jobs or career paths you can take,” Morris explained. “Coming into college, I felt I had such a vague idea of what it meant to be an engineer and I only really learned through the help of my professors. Talk to and learn from the faculty around you because they only want to see you succeed and are more than happy to discuss any of the unanswered questions you may have when deciding your future. Don’t let the term ‘engineer’ intimidate you. I’ve met a lot of students who were interested in engineering but didn’t believe they had the skills needed to succeed in their major. The Statler College is there to teach you everything you don’t know, so don’t let anything hold you back.”