Paper Trail: Engineer Grad Starts at International Paper

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Posted on September 6, 2024

Thomas Becnel

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#MyFirstJob is a series focused on recent graduates of the University of South Alabama.

When Jaren Fields attended a weekend job fair in Pensacola, he kept crossing paths with people from the International Paper mill in Bogalusa, Louisiana.

“At every meal, I’d meet someone from Bogalusa, and we’d have these great conversations,” he said. “When it came time for the actual job interview, I felt really confident, and I was sure about all of the things they were asking me.”

The mechanical engineering student from the University of South Alabama wound up receiving a job offer from International Paper. In Bogalusa, of course. He checked with his parents first.

“I called my mom and dad, and we did a little war room,” he said. “We looked at the pros and cons, like we always do, and I accepted the offer.”

This was last fall, months before Fields earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. One less thing to worry about during his final semester.

“I was able to finish up without having to think about finding a job,” he said. “I haven’t looked back since.”

In Bogalusa this summer, Fields began training and working at the same time. No two days are the same. Scheduled tasks give way to last-minute deadlines.

“It’s very fast-paced,” he said. “I’m learning to use different software and do our morning meetings. I’ve already finished a couple of projects.”

Soon he’ll begin working night and evening shifts every other month. Paying his dues. Right now, the daily routine takes him in different directions.

“I get in around 6:45 a.m.,” he said, “and leave when I hit a stopping point.”

Fields comes from a U.S. Air Force family that moved back and forth across the country. He and his brother and parents finally landed in Prattville, Alabama, near Montgomery.

His father worked in information technology and inspired him to become an engineer. They shared an interest in video games and home projects. 

At South, Fields started out playing for the Jaguar football team. He was an undersized defensive lineman who struggled to find playing time. Something had to give.

“I wasn’t making the cut athletically,” he said, “but I knew the playbook, I understood the schemes, so I got a scholarship as a student assistant coach.”

Meanwhile, Fields studied engineering and joined groups such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. He was a member of the Collegiate 100 organization at South.

Greek life also was important to him. He’s a fourth-generation member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

“I come from a family of Ques,” he said, using the nickname for fraternity brothers. “From my great uncles all the way to me. My father, my brother, my cousins, everyone. There was an article in the fraternity magazine about our family.”

Fields’s older brother is a physical therapist who went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration. Fields is interested in getting an MBA, too, somewhere down the road.

At International Paper, work feels different from school. He’s getting used to the change.

“What really drew me here,” he said, “is that, before you settle in, you’ve got to go through each department and see what they’re about, before you get started.”

In Bogalusa, he shares an apartment with his pit bull, Milo. He collects Lego construction sets and is building his own 3-D printer. On weekends, he enjoys visiting Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

On Thursday nights, Fields plays bar trivia with a team from the paper mill. His specialty is science fiction, especially “Star Wars.” He just got a “Spiderman” tattoo on his right calf.

Bogalusa is less than a day's drive from Prattville, where his parents live, but Fields’ focus now is settling into his new life.

“I’m treating this like my freshman year in college,” he said. “I wanted to go out and cut that cord. Louisiana is my home now.”

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