Valerie Hover

I’m a mechanical engineering student at St. Mary’s University with hands-on internship experience in product engineering, prototype development, and DFMEA analysis. I’m SOLIDWORKS certified and focused on engineering work that’s both safety-minded and manufacturable.

In capstone and project leadership roles, I’ve applied thermal-fluid and fluid mechanics principles to build proof-of-concept systems, including a closed-loop glycol test system that reduced $70K in annual costs. I also led an electrical box redesign to hit a 10% cost reduction goal through material analysis, process optimization, redesign, and prototype testing.

During my product engineering internship, I led a concept-to-prototype effort under senior engineer mentorship. I designed, built, and evaluated prototypes to improve product performance and system reliability, and I used DFMEA, GD&T, and engineering standards to support safety and manufacturability.

Outside the lab, I bring disciplined, team-first leadership from NCAA Division II soccer as a team co-captain and micro coach, where I’m practiced in cross-functional communication, accountability, and delivering clear feedback.