What I Do I am a civil and geotechnical engineering consultant for precast concrete products for retaining walls, hardscapes, and light pole bases. I provide technical support and design resources for worldwide projects using these products.
Why Engineering? I initially chose engineering because I enjoyed math and science, and could see myself doing it every day. Years later, I still feel that way, only there is so much added joy in helping others develop projects for many different reasons. My favorite projects to work on are those that provide additional infrastructure for better transportation for the public.
School Days For my undergraduate degree, I attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio and graduated with a bachelor of science in Civil and Environmental Engineering. For my graduate degree, I attended Kansas State University as a global student, and graduated with a master of science in Civil Engineering with a Geotechnical focus.
My Day At Work There really isn't a "typical" day at work as each day can introduce new challenges. Most days, I am working on determining the feasibility of my company's products for a specific project by determining a preliminary critical structural design. If there isn't a specific project I am working on, I always have a larger, back burner project. These consist of updating technical resources for our products, like construction details or technical publications.
Best Part The best part of being an engineer is being able to provide solutions for challenging sites. When I am able to determine that a tall retaining wall with intense loading conditions will work using my company's product, it's a great feeling!
Proud Moments I am quite proud to have passed the Principles and Practice of Engineer (PE) exam and receive my Professional Engineer license. It was quite challenging, and very worth the effort.
Challenges Pursuing an engineering career can be difficult, especially in college. I had many friends who had less demanding majors, and it was challenging for me to focus on my education and less on the social aspect of college. It was important for me to remember my long term goals rather than focus on short term satisfaction.
My Family I am very close with my immediate family, and have two sisters that are my best friends. Ironically, all three of us are involved in mathematics fields. My parents are my biggest fans. I also have a long term boyfriend, who is in the concrete industry. We are very close with his family as well.
Want to be an Engineer? Do not ever let yourself give up. Engineering is hard, and there will be times you want to quit. However, it is worth it to persevere and reach your goals!
Hobbies Outside of work, I enjoy hiking with my dog, Scratch. He is a Scottish Terrier mixed breed, and we love the outdoors. I also enjoy going to any sporting event, specifically baseball or football.