What initially sparked your interest in engineering?
Since I was a child, I have helped my dad with just about every project, including home repair and vehicle maintenance that he would do. I really enjoyed spending that time with him, and it created a positive relationship for me with that type of work. Getting to see how things functioned and better understanding the world around me brought me a lot of joy, especially getting to experience it with my dad, and it helped me to develop a curiosity and interest in those things for myself.
As I went through preliminary and high school, I excelled and became interested in mathematics and the sciences. Physics was particularly interesting to me, seeing how things moved and interacted with one another. I liked learning about the flow of water as well, which cemented itself as part of the core focal point of my career path moving forward.
I wasn’t terribly sure what direction to take this when I was transitioning to my college career, but after consulting with my family, the idea of engineering popped up based on my strengths and interests and sounded like an excellent idea.
I began my time at Texas A&M as a chemical engineer and quickly realized that it wasn’t the avenue that I was supposed to be on. I transitioned to Ocean Engineering in my sophomore year and finished my undergraduate degree in 2016. Afterward, I elected to stay at Texas A&M to pursue a master’s in civil engineering with a focus on hydraulics and hydrology.
How do you continue to enhance your skills and knowledge in engineering?
The continuing education courses that BGE provides are an excellent source of additional learning! They provide new ways to implement certain technologies, new materials or strategies to apply to specific scenarios, and more efficient methods of performing certain tasks.
I think that continuing to attend classes and learn about the new things sprouting up in the engineering field is an important way to keep your mind sharp and open to the possibilities of learning better ways to be an engineer. However, I think the most important thing is that I ask a lot of questions. Maybe too many at times, but I try to get as much information as I can. The more details I have about something, the better I understand it, and the easier it will be to come to a solution. I always try to learn something from whoever I’m communicating with, and with the quality of the people who work here, they are always happy to help teach someone.
Additionally, the mentor-mentee program provided me with multiple outlets to reach out for higher-level advice on situations I wasn’t familiar with, such as project management. The resources that BGE provides to connect its employees have made things much easier to continue learning.
How do you see your work making a positive impact on the industry or society?
I primarily work in hydraulics and hydrology, so a majority of the work that I do is to ensure that the designs we propose to implement will have no negative impacts on the surrounding waterways or infrastructure. When we realize the project works after analyzing, adjusting, and rechecking the design, it gives me immense satisfaction and lets me know that the work I’m doing here matters. It helps the natural waterways continue flowing as they currently do and ensures that the proposed infrastructure will be safe from the storm event criteria we’re designing for.
We provide services that help people continue living their lives, and it’s often a background thought for most people. But I think if it can continue to be a background thought, then we’re doing our job quite well.
What is your favorite part of your job at BGE?
Without a doubt, my favorite part of working for BGE is the people. My coworkers are the absolute backbone of my experience here. Whether that be relationships that have a personal connection to them or a mentoring relationship where I can learn and grow, I never cease to be impressed by the caliber of individuals that we hire here. I’m very grateful to be surrounded by such driven and kind-hearted people.
I’ve formed close friendships with several coworkers and spend time with them outside of work. I see many of the people I work with as role models for how to be an excellent engineer as well as how to be a good leader.
I think people make the largest difference in any facet of life, and the created environment is based on the people that populate it. I’ve worked at several companies where the work was enjoyable, but the people made the environment less than ideal. At BGE, however, I’m fortunate enough to be doing enjoyable and fulfilling work and to have people who create an amazing environment that encourages growth, learning, personal development, leadership, and overall excellence in both my professional and personal life.
BGE has many excellent qualities as a company, but the best thing that it can do is bring in people who accentuate those qualities and support their colleagues.
When you aren’t at work, what do you like to do most in your free time?
Outside of work, I’m a very physically active person! I’ve been weightlifting since 2012 and enjoy running and just about any other form of physical activity I can imagine. I picked up boxing in 2023, which was incredibly fun, though a couple of bruises here and there may have implied the contrary to my coworkers.
I greatly enjoy traveling and have a trip planned to Ireland in the summer with a group of friends. My family used to go on many road trips, and we visited Disney World a lot when I was growing up, so I look forward to doing the same with my family when I have kids.
I love works of fiction in any form, whether watching, reading, or writing them myself. I find a good narrative with an interesting world to be enthralling. I think that stories really have the capacity to create genuine emotion and provide an amazing source of inspiration for people.
But of course, spending time with family and friends tops everything else. I’ve cultivated some really wonderful relationships in my life, and I really enjoy the opportunity to invest in them and be closer to the people that I love.