UC engineering co-op medalist is company's first in Portugal
Vladimir Miskovic was awarded the Herman Schneider Medal
Vladimir Miskovic began playing American football as a high-schooler — which was not a popular activity in his home country of Serbia — and the sport led him to the United States. He moved to Cleveland to play football and, after graduating high school, decided to pursue higher education in mechanical engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Miskovic received the 2023 Herman Schneider Medal, an annual award given to a graduating senior in the College of Engineering and Applied Science who demonstrates exceptional work as a co-op student.
“I was always interested in how things worked,” Miskovic said. “Mechanical engineering came to mind as a great way to explore that passion. It’s one of the most versatile majors in engineering and has allowed me to do many things.”
Vladimir Miskovic at Herman Schneider Award banquet. Photo/provided.
In the classroom he learned about engineering processes in theory, but yearned to see how they worked in practice. Thanks to UC's cooperative education (co-op) program, ranked No. 4 in the nation, he could. Miskovic's first co-op job was in Columbus, Indiana at Leoni Wiring Systems, a global company specializing in wiring harnesses, which are systems that run throughout vehicles and relay information and electric power to them. Miskovic went on to complete all five of his co-op rotations at Leoni.
The nationally ranked program provides undergraduate students with real-world learning experience that places them into the professional field almost immediately, developing skills and confidence for their career after graduating. Co-op students are trusted, expected and encouraged by their employer to contribute meaningful work while they’re there.
“From the day that I walked into Leoni, I was able to work on an important project, and a month later, my boss sent me to North Carolina to present it to the customer,” he said.
The customer was Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of construction equipment. For his third co-op, Miskovic moved to North Carolina to work with Caterpillar on behalf of Leoni.
“That opportunity gave me a chance to have a sort of co-op within a co-op, because I was working for Leoni and Caterpillar at the same time,” he said.
His final two co-ops with Leoni were in Portugal. His boss at the time presented him with the opportunity and shared that it was something the company had not done before. However, the offer came with a caveat. Since Miskovic would be the first Leoni co-op in Portugal, they didn’t have a system in place to help him with the logistics of the move, such as the visa process and finding transportation and housing. Additionally, if he were to live there for two semesters, he needed to learn to speak Portuguese.
Miskovic wasn’t deterred; he was up for the challenge. Over the course of eight months, he took more than 50 courses in Portuguese and was able to master the language.
Miskovic at Caterpillar, Inc.
“I knew Portuguese pretty well before I even got there. I was able to find an apartment, get directions and get my visa without too many problems. If I didn’t know the language, this experience wouldn’t have been the same,” he said.
In the two semesters he spent in Portugal, Miskovic traveled the country north to south several times, traveled other parts of Europe and showed his UC friends around when they came to visit. Additionally, as part of his work with Caterpillar, he traveled to the United Kingdom for a customer visit.
“That gave me an opportunity to get the experience and understanding of how culture plays into engineering and how the work changes as we cross borders,” Miskovic said.
Although Miskovic was at one company for all five of his co-op rotations, he received a wide variety of work experience in many departments at Leoni. In Portugal, he had three main roles: manufacturing, costing and designing.
In manufacturing, he worked as an operator performing tasks including assembly and assisting manufacturing engineers with improving manufacturing times. In costing, he used his operator experience to provide estimates of labor and materials required to create customers’ wiring harnesses. In designing, he took customer designs and created internal 2D drawings that fit Leoni standards and specifications. Working in different areas of the company gave him a complete view of what Leoni does.
UC students often choose to work for multiple companies during their five co-op rotations, but two things kept Miskovic at Leoni: opportunities and connections. Working with Caterpillar, being the first co-op at Leoni Portugal and traveling to the United Kingdom on a customer visit were some of these opportunities.
Traveling the world, I've made so many connections and gotten to know so many people that can be helpful to me. I have a great support system around the world that I can rely on.
Vladimir Miskovic, 2023 Herman Schneider Medalist
Miskovic on his first day at Leoni Portugal. Photo/provided.
Miskovic was the first co-op at Leoni Portugal, but he will not be the last. In his final co-op with the company, he developed a training course on international co-op experience that will be used to help onboard future co-ops and full-time new hires.
“I hope to leave a legacy within my co-op company and the University of Cincinnati that benefits future co-op students,” he said.
Throughout his years at UC, Miskovic remained heavily involved on campus. He is a peer mentor to underclass students, assisting them in pursuing their version of success and is the Electrical Sub-Team Leader on the Formula SAE vehicle as part of Bearcat Motorsports, a student organization that involves race car design and manufacturing. Bearcat Motorsports gives him a chance to do the one thing he was not able to do as a co-op at Leoni: design a wiring schematic and manufacture a wiring harness independently.
I hope to leave a legacy within my co-op company and the University of Cincinnati that benefits future co-op students.
Vladimir Miskovic, 2023 Herman Schneider Medalist
After graduating this spring, he will be moving to Raleigh, North Carolina, to work full-time with Leoni.
“My engineering position at Leoni, called a resident engineer, is someone who covers a variety of topics, serving as a liaison between the customer’s design team and Leoni’s manufacturing plants spread around the world,” Miskovic said.
Along with the 2023 Herman Schneider Medal, Miskovic also received the Peggy Jarvie International Work Experience Award from the Cooperative Education and Internship Association.
Discover what UC's top ranked co-op program has to offer
Read more co-op stories from current students and alumni.
Feature image at top: Miskovic at SC Braga game in Portugal. Photo/provided.
Related Stories
Cincinnati Law welcomes the world
May 17, 2019
The University of Cincinnati College of Law has fewer than 400 students, but some travel thousands of miles around the globe to enroll.
UC staff have elected their 2021-23 Staff Senators
June 8, 2021
Join us in congratulating the 2021-23 new Staff Senate members! Elections were held in early May, and new senators will begin their two-year term in July 2021. All UC staff are encouraged to be part of the enthusiasm and excitement for our new senators by attending the Staff Senate online meeting via WebEx, June 30, 9-11 a.m.
Witnessing destruction led engineer into career of creation
March 30, 2021
Rand Talib grew up in Iraq during the war there. She was enamored with architecture and was devastated watching beloved buildings destroyed in bombings. She decided to dedicate her education and career to learning how to build instead of destroy, which led her to a doctorate in civil engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
WCPO: When scholarships don't cover dental
July 19, 2021
UC Global Opportunity scholar Zedekia Samara is the benefactor of a local dentist's good will
Times of India: Everything you need to know about skin pH
February 22, 2021
Internal and external factors affect the skin's pH. UC cosmetic sciences expert KP Annath explains the physical and environmental elements that go in to determining pH and what products do to balance skin properties.
UC grad realizes dream of community impact during COVID
March 8, 2021
By Joí Dean As an undergraduate in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences, alumna Dr. Nasrien E. Ibrahim was influenced by the diverse community she found herself among. It was, she says, “people from all different cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds. I just loved the melting pot and diversity. Not just the background, but of thought and experience of views on life,” Ibrahim said. That appreciation for diversity has influenced her career as a cardiologist and her approach to medicine, and caused her to appreciate more deeply social inequities that made her work more challenging. Recently a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Ibrahim served on the front lines during the pandemic.
UC students gain experience of a lifetime in Venice
August 21, 2018
Architectural projects created by UC faculty and students that explore these urban challenges are featured during the 16th International Venice Biennale. The Biennale, which runs May 26-Nov. 25, 2018, is regarded as the worldâ s most prestigious platform for contemporary art and architecture. "Alchemy," an exhibit funded through the Simpson Center for Urban Futures, focuses on the societal challenges within the socioeconomic landscape of Cincinnati.
UC student Fulbright winners make positive global impact
August 21, 2018
Five UC student Fulbright winners will teach and perform cutting-edge research in Europe, North Africa and Guatemala.
UC's Edson Cabalfin brings the Philippines to Italy
August 20, 2018
Edson Cabalfin, associate professor in the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), served as curator of the 16th International Venice Architecture Biennale’s Philippine pavilion, one of 63 national pavilions selected to show during the prestigious architecture and contemporary art exhibition.
UC's Mara Marcu talks 'Optical Illusions of Volume' exhibit at Venice Biennale
August 20, 2018
â Optical Illusions of Volume,â an installation by University of Cincinnati professors Mara Marcu and Ming Tang, is now on display at the â Data & Matterâ exhibition in Venice, Italy, hosted at the Palazzo Bembo on Riva del Carbon. The event is part of the European Cultural Centreâ s â Time - Space - Existenceâ exhibition running during the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale.