Nov 16, 2022

On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, the AIST Midwest Chapter held its annual Young Steel Professionals night, featuring a panel of five speakers. Two of those speakers were U. S. Steel's Donte Rayford (Gary Works) and Ashley Fuller (Midwest Plant).

AIST's mission is to advance the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel, and U. S. Steel is a long-time member.  The Young Professionals group supports the rising generation of steel industry professionals with training, education and networking opportunities.

The evening was an opportunity to network with other young steel professionals and for college students to learn about careers in the steel industry. 

Donte Rayford grew up in Gary, Indiana, and attended Purdue University West Lafayette where he obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. Donte started at U. S. Steel in January of 2018 and currently works as a Process Control Engineer at the Gary 84” Hot Strip Mill.

Donte had this to say about speaking at the AIST Young Professionals event:

“Being able to speak at the AIST Young Professionals event was a fun experience for me. It was an honor to be recognized and it was a pleasure meeting other young people in our industry. I enjoyed learning about the other panelists' journeys in the steel industry. Hopefully, we were able to inspire the college students that attended the event to consider a career in steel.”

Ashley Fuller grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, and attended Saint Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame. She has degrees in both Chemistry & Chemical Engineering. Ashley started at U. S. Steel in July of 2017 and currently works as a Quality Assurance Engineer at the 72” Hot Dip Galvanizing Line at the Midwest Plant in Portage.

Ashley had this to say about speaking at the AIST Young Professionals Event:

“I was honored to be selected to speak at this event. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story and to hear the stories of other young professionals working in different areas of the steel industry.”