Marques Thompson – Structural Engineer
Growing up, I was always my father's helper in our various home renovation projects. Academically, I was always strong in math and interested in the sciences because it was an ever-changing field that always warranted the challenging questions of why and how.
Combining my experiences, strengths, and interests naturally led me to structural engineering. To be in a field where I’m able to contribute to something tangible that people interact with on a regular basis, such as a building, is exciting. Designing a building, that will likely last longer than I will in this world, is a worthwhile legacy.
Christine Fanning – Transportation Engineer
My initial interest in engineering stemmed during my freshman year of college after a tour through the Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory at UIUC. I found myself surrounded by massive concrete columns, dust, hard hats, and the deafening sound of power tools. The experience led me to wonder how the clean precision of math and physics fit into the messy chaos of the lab. I loved the idea of breaking down that chaos into something I could understand, explain, and appreciate.
Siddharth Jadhav – Electrical Engineer
My fascination with science and technology is what drove me towards seeking a career in engineering. When I was 11, I read a book about landing on the moon. That book fascinated me and led me to think more about scientific inventions and breakthrough technologies.
Electrical Engineering was one of three choices when considering my major in college, the other two were Computer Science and Electronics Engineering, but I was convinced my field of study would have something to do with electrical logic and systems. Power systems and the integration of electric machines with humans has driven my research interests ever since.
I’m constantly striving to be accomplished in my field and am always looking to continue learning as a student of all things engineering.
Cameron Small – Mechanical Engineer
I’ve always wanted my career to reflect the person I am, someone who is constantly growing and developing themselves in order to make an impact. It took some time to find my calling, but when I discovered the parts human negligence and indifference were playing in the global climate crisis, I knew I wanted to play an impactful role in mitigating climate change.
I have always been fascinated by math and physics, and my passion for sustainability gave me a purpose: to make a tangible impact on the world with every detail line I draw, every strategy I analyze, and every design decision I make. I became a Mechanical Engineer so I could use the abilities I excelled with to make a difference wherever possible.
Dave Evans – Civil Engineer
Growing up I always loved building and designing things. Taking a design from paper to real-life was very rewarding and I always liked the challenge and problem-solving aspect from that.
Math and science were also interesting to me and I was pretty good at it, so engineering seemed like the optimal path for me.
Civil Engineering was particularly intriguing because there were so many different focus areas to choose from. In college I was most impressed by the “water resources” field. After I graduated and learned about the Land Development area, it seemed like that niche had a little bit of everything I was looking for and turned out to be a great fit for me.