Denissa Mejia (’22) is from Savannah, Georgia, and wanted to stay close to family when she graduated from Georgia Southern University Parker College of Business.
“I got a job, but I didn’t take it because it was too far from home,” she said.
Mejia applied for a position at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Bryan County after a friend, an engineer at the company, encouraged her to do so. She has been working there for nearly two years now. Currently, she is a group lead in the general assembly division where she is responsible for managing a team of 25 people on what’s called the trim line-up.
“The trim line is the beginning of the line in general assembly,” she explained. “That’s the very first thing that the car goes in. So we do mostly all the electrical wires, pretty much all the critical components and I always have to make sure that quality is up to standard.”
Meija studied supply chain management with an emphasis on logistics at Georgia Southern.
“My most memorable experience was being invited to the Intermodal Association of North America Expo in Long Beach, California,” she shared. “I was invited due to my academic grades, and had an amazing time as I learned more about supply chain management.”
The critical thinking and problem solving skills Mejia learned in her classes at Georgia Southern are crucial in her role today at Hyundai.
“I love the chaos and solving issues to ensure the vehicle is up to standard,” Mejia said. A typical day involves daily team meetups, quality checks and making sure the team is set up for success throughout the day.
“I make sure my team members understand what’s going on day-to-day,” she emphasized. “I love the work ethic here and enjoy developing my team members.”
One of her standout experiences was traveling to South Korea for a month, where she learned about a new vehicle launch and immersed herself in Korean culture. Meijia acknowledges the experiences and opportunities at the automaker have exceeded her expectations.
“I like the benefits and growth opportunities that the company gives you,” she affirmed. “I started as a team leader and was promoted within a year.”
She plans to stay with Hyundai, developing her skills and growing within the company that’s investing in the local workforce.