How many years of experience do you have as an engineer?
As a Civil Engineer, I have a year and nine months of experience with Sebago Technics, and a year as an intern with the Office of Facilities Management at the University of Maine, Orono.
When/how did you discover that you wanted to become a civil engineer?
I discovered that I had an interest in civil engineering in middle school when I visited my cousin in the Dominican Republic and attended a few civil engineering classes with her. This was the first time I had gotten exposed to both the university environment and civil engineering as a course. A few years later, she graduated and I would visit again to then shadow her during one of her workdays, where she went through some of her plans and CAD drawings with me. From that point on, I started to do my research on civil engineering and decided that this is what I would like to major in a have a career in.
What do you like most about the work you do?
What I like the most about the work I do as a Civil Engineer, is that I have an impact on civilians’ daily life with my designs. Even though the engineering may be subsurface and not visible to the public, the engineering solutions are what helps a community develop and run smoothly.
What is your favorite/most notable project and why?
My most notable project was relocating the entrance to the Belgrade Lot at the University of Maine. It consisted of surveying, proposed driveway entrance drawings, and construction inspection. Even though this project was a small-scale design, I took pride in going through the phases of the design and construction. Being that this was my first design that got built, I bragged to my classmates that the road they were driving on was designed by me.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about becoming an engineer?
I would say, do your research and seek out any opportunity to experience engineering first hand; whether that is through a mentor, shadowing opportunity, and/or an internship.
