About Me

Hi everyone!

My name is Katherine Frangos, or "Kat" for short.  I was born in San Francisco, CA and I'm the oldest of four kids.  Our family moved out to Texas in the fall of 1999 and we've lived here ever since!  I am now living out in Louisiana as a Facilities Engineer with Chevron.

I went to high school at the Conroe Academy of Science and Technology at College Park High School in the Woodlands, TX.  I played softball, took Spanish, a bunch of math and science classes, but probably one of my highlights was my time on the BEST and FIRST Robotics teams.  The team mentor, a Mr. Scott Rippetoe, was very inspirational to me and he played an important role in my decision to study mechanical engineering in college.  It's so powerful when you know that someone believes in you - it makes it much easier to challenge yourself and try new things.

After graduating from high school, I headed up to West Lafayette, Indiana to begin my engineering studies at Purdue University.  College was one adventure after another and I truly enjoyed every moment of my time as a Boilermaker.  Countless football and basketball games, intramural flag football and softball, fun times as a Boiler Gold Rush Team Leader and Mechanical Engineering Ambassador, working in the Women in Engineering Program and my many, many sleepless nights in the M.E. building made for a fantastic Boilermaker experience!  As I worked my way through my college experience, the network and friendships that I developed helped me succeed.  One of my fondest memories of ME was the mass all-nighter that the ME 452 Machine Design seniors pulled as we worked into the wee hours of the morning to finish our last big project.  Throughout the night, there were many orders of Jimmy and Papa John's to keep our morale going.  I honestly can't believe that it's almost been 2 years since I graduated...  Don't worry though, I am a proud Boilermaker alumna and I have decorated my cube (and car) with plenty of Purdue gear.

One of my most significant Purdue adventures took me to Shanghai, China as part of the 2013 Mechanical Engineering Term Abroad.  That was such an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience - you can read all about it in some of my other blog posts!







While in college, I interned twice with Chevron which helped me understand what it is like to work for a major oil and gas company.  My fun-filled, successful and impactful summer internship experiences lead me to my first job.  One of the benefits of working at a company that I've interned with is that I have a strong network of friends and co-workers spread throughout Chevron operations in the United States, meaning I can lean on my connections whenever I need a helping hand.  My 2012 internship experience in Bakersfield, California as part of the Lost Hills Asset Development Team exposed me to real-world engineering problems and the importance of effective communication and problem-solving skills.  I put 6,000 miles on my car that summer... our intern crew was always exploring beautiful California on the weekends and I naturally became the unofficial "Intern Social Coordinator".  My summer in Covington, Louisiana (2013) exposed me to offshore facilities engineering and I enjoyed it so much, I decided to work there full-time!  The local culture has really grown on me over time - I no longer go anywhere without at least one koozie in my purse (sign that I've officially assimilated into life in Louisiana).  Easily my favorite aspect of my current job is taking boats and helicopters out to the production platforms and spending time with operators, field reps and construction crews.  More on that later.

Anyways, this blog is all about my different adventures.  I'm a firm believer that you can have fun doing just about anything - it all depends on who you're with and your perspective on life.  Hope you enjoy reading about my escapades and I can't wait to hear some of yours!