Alumni Spotlight: Jayne Little

Jayne Little came to Blacksburg from South Riding, VA. She graduated in May 2018 with a B.S. in Packaging Systems & Design and minors in both Psych & Communication. Virginia Tech had seemed like the obvious choice as her dad, aunt, and uncle all attended. Jayne told us that “I came into VT undecided, and soon switched to major in Psychology with hopes to pursue grad school following undergrad. However, I wasn’t feeling challenged enough by the major and it didn’t have the hands-on experience that I was looking for in college. I’ve always wanted to do something in design (as a kid, I went through a phase of wanting to be an interior designer) so I started to dig into packaging. The career opportunities and pathway to a career drew me in. It was very apparent to me that packaging is vital in almost every industry and I’d be able to choose which path to pursue, whether that be food packaging, CPG, industrial, etc. I didn’t necessarily have a “dream job” that I was hoping to come out of undergrad with, but I knew I would have options.”

Jayne enjoyed many of her courses once she switched to the packaging program. She said “the in-major classes of the PS&D program were all valuable in their own regard - but those that were most interesting to me were Packaging Polymers & Production, and Packaging Design for Global Distribution. The polymers course gave me a great first hand understanding of different packaging materials, while the design project in Packaging Design for Global Distribution was closest to a real-world project in the packaging industry. In my opinion, one of the most beneficial aspects of the packaging program at Tech was the professors & students in the major. Everyone was passionate about packaging & seeing each other succeed. This was apparent in the coursework and the guest speakers that were brought in for students to learn more about the industry.”

Through her work at CPULD, Jayne learned valuable information about the ISTA testing processes and common failures that are often seen in testing. She went on to explain that “though I’m not conducting testing first-hand at my current job, it is still good to know the background & why of the testing process - especially taking these factors into consideration when designing new packaging.” She also enjoyed the variety of tasks she was assigned while working in the pallet lab. “Working at the CPULD was honestly challenging some days, as you never knew what new project to expect when showing up for work. But, this was also one of my favorite parts. Whether it was inspecting unit loads of tile, or testing a truck load of paper towels - each project presented its own learnings & takeaways that I still keep in the back of my mind today!”

After graduating, Jayne found work as a Packaging Engineer at Newell Brands in NC. She explained that “in my role, I am responsible for leading packaging development for new products launching in Europe. I work on the Writing division, so most of my work is with brands such as Sharpie, PaperMate, and Elmers. My day-to-day responsibilities include collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure all project must-haves are met, creating specs and bill of materials for new products, and collaborating with the Newell Packaging test lab to validate any new designs through ISTA testing. I also work on cost-savings initiatives to be implemented for new/existing products at Newell. There are many ongoing sustainability initiatives in Europe, so I also work to make sure those are understood and met in all new packaging designs - this often includes ideating on new packaging designs to make sure they are plastic-free, or contain recycled content if plastic must be used.”

For a while, during to the pandemic, Jayne worked 100% from home. However, she is now only working part-time from home. “I am now going into the office three times a week, along with the rest of the packaging team at Newell. Since COVID has become less prominent in the community, we've adopted a hybrid model of three days in the office with two days working from home during each week.”

She has enjoyed living in North Carolina. Jayne “has found a great social circle in Charlotte to spend time with, a mix of some VT alum and new friends. Since quarantine started, I have definitely learned to appreciate the neighborhood I live in so much more by taking long walks and working out outdoors whenever possible. I love to try new restaurants in the area, but also love to experiment in the kitchen with different healthy recipes as I am also trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle by fitting in time to go to the gym after work every day.”

Jayne had the following advice to offer others who attend VT. “One of the most valuable takeaways from my college experience is to never turn down an opportunity to get involved. When I transferred into the packaging major, I truly tried my best to go all-in and joined the packaging club, applied to work at the CPULD, connected with other students. Not only did this help me to make new friends in the major, but also opened up the door to so many opportunities for my career and connections that I might have otherwise missed.”