Featured Alumni from the Class of 2018

 

Carolyn Carrera '18
November  2019

As I reflect on my journey while at Stony Brook I cannot help but feel grateful for every moment of it; from all of the friends I made while in the civil engineering program, to all that I learned in the classes, to my time spent on the lacrosse and soccer teams, and most of all to how deeply my faith in Jesus Christ grew from being challenged every day in academics, athletics, and the college atmosphere. I love Stony Brook and I’m so thankful for the gift I was given to go to school there and graduate with an incredible degree. 
Since graduation I’ve been working for a general contractor on Long Island, Posillico. I learned about Posillico through one of the Engineering Job and Internship fairs at Stony Brook, and then I interned there in the summer of 2018. Throughout my internship, I was also playing on the Philadelphia Force, a women’s professional lacrosse team that I was drafted to in the United Women’s Lacrosse League. We won the National Championship for the league in Boston during the summer of 2018. This was an incredible way to extend my lacrosse career and was made possible by playing for Stony Brook. I am grateful that Posillico supported me through my internship that summer, allowing me to leave early when I needed to for these games. After my internship at Posillico, they offered me a full time position upon graduation, which would be a short 4 months away in December 2018. I accepted the position because I would be working in the field in the construction side of engineering coupled with the impressive positive work environment. They foster teamwork and commitment amongst their employees, which I had already experienced and appreciated.
At Posillico I am a Junior Project Engineer performing daily duties of project management. On a daily basis I interact with the labor force, read plans and specifications to ensure we are following them correctly, track the daily work, and complete other project management tasks. The labor force consists of the union laborers and operating engineers who physically operate the equipment and construct the work. I enjoy the opportunity to be out in the field and see the building and construction of the engineered plans. 
I recently received my E.I.T. (Engineer In Training) certification after passing the Fundamentals Examination last December. While at Posillico I’ve been given a great opportunity to become involved with the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA). After going through a training program and taking an exam, I am now an Associate DBIA certified professional. This certification allows me to work on Design Build projects, which you can read more about here. Next, I will be pursuing my Professional Engineering (P.E.) license.
Not being in school and playing sports at the college level, I have been enjoying spending a lot of time with the people I love in my favorite place- the outdoors. I’ve been hunting with my family, fishing, learning how to surf, and now learning how to free-dive spearfish. I am also very grateful for the gift to pass on my love for sports, especially lacrosse, by mentoring young girls through giving private lacrosse lessons. 
I am still considering opening my own engineering firm down the road, but for now I am content with gaining as much professional experience as possible in every facet of engineering. One of my favorite scriptures that has guided me through this time after graduation is Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord...” I’m thankful for each day, new opportunities to learn, and the blessing to work with all my heart knowing that I am not defined by my career, but rather I can work joyfully knowing I’m doing it all for the glory of God. I love that civil engineering has so many opportunities and paths to be explored, and I’m looking forward to the journey ahead.

 

Holy Cheong '18
September 2018

There are several reasons why I decided to pursue a career in the U.S. Air Force after graduation. The first was my interest in the different field experience that an engineer, serving as an Officer in the Air Force would have. I wanted to expose myself to broader civil engineering applications and apply my knowledge to a variety of situations and assist the U.S. Air Force in solving problems. By pursuing a career in the military, I hope to become a better version of myself every day. I am most excited to relocate, travel, and adjust to a different lifestyle.

The bigger reason why I chose this path is because, as a child of immigrants, I believe this country has given me an abundance of opportunities and an education like no other. Many things were not fed to me and I sought to put my foot in those open doors for a better future. As a young kid growing up in NYC after 9/11, I grew an immense feeling of gratitude for those around me and a desire to serve the country that had opened its arms. From this, I am eager to return to this country, the knowledge, experience, and willingness to serve that I have grown to have. A feeling that my brother and I share, as he is also an Officer in the U.S. Air Force,  serving as a 13B Air Battle Manager.

I began my Air Force Officer application in September of 2017. I simply signed up for information on their website and a recruiter reached out to me. They were high in demand for civil engineers. From then on, there was a lot of paperwork, emailing, interviews, exams, and appointments. My application was for a spot in their Officer Training School in Alabama. OTS is about a 9 week training school and once successfully completed, I would graduate as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. I was told it was very selective and around the time of my application, a memo was sent out to all applicants informing us that only applications for certain technical degrees would make it to the board, all others had been filled and were closed. I was so happy that I had pursued a degree in civil engineering.

I received the good news in June of 2018. I was selected to be a Civil Engineer in the U.S. Air Force! My expected OTS class is January and I will leave for Alabama then. Upon successful completion of OTS, I will serve 4 years.

Currently, I am working full-time as an entry-level Civil Engineer in the city, learning new engineering principles, mostly pertaining to hydraulics and environmental engineering, and retaining what I learned from Stony Brook. Aside from my job, my focus is entirely on training myself physically and preparing for the U.S. Air Force fitness exams. I am up 530am on the weekdays to workout before work. If I can show others that they should seek far beyond for opportunities in different places, I hope this helps encourage them!

 

Terrence Ki '18
March 2019

Broadly speaking, civil engineering consists of many different fields filled with unique opportunities and challenges. I am currently working with J.F. White Contracting Co., a Massachusetts-based heavy civil construction company. A lot of the work I do relates to rehabilitation/reconstruction of New England infrastructure. I work as an estimating engineer for the company helping to win contracts ranging from $5 million to $300 million. I take all of a project’s information and summarize it to a dollar value. 

The estimation report is crucial for project owners to help them decide who will be doing construction on a project. Often, I am working on 2-3 estimates at a time. So far, I have completed estimates for new construction of viaducts, rehabilitation of light rail track, reconstruction of culverts and more. Each estimation project requires a lot of focus and comes with some pressure due to the short turn-around time to prepare the report.

After graduation, I’ve grown the most in my interpersonal skills and relationships. I have made solid connections with subcontractors in discussing parts of each project and I am expanding my network a little at a time. Each project is filled with unique construction problems whether it be traffic management, optimizing man power or lack of surveying data. It is my company's role to attain the necessary documents and analyze them to provide a comprehensive and ships accurate proposal. Each day at work, I am learning something new or reinforcing what I learned previously during my undergraduate career at SBU or subsequent time as a professional.

Looking at my future I see many different paths I can take. I would like to pursue graduate studies on the west coast, however, I would like to continue working. The construction industry is progressing quickly and I do not want to fall behind. I would also love the opportunity to work abroad. I love traveling and the great outdoors. A big dream of mine is to work in New Zealand on developing sustainable infrastructure. Whichever path I chose to take I think I am making good progress towards it by being where I am now.

What motivated me to come to Boston was the craving for a new challenge. Change encourages professional, mental and emotional growth. Sure, the beginning may make you feel like you want to retreat to something comfortable, familiar and easy. However, taking a step towards a brand new direction can be the most refreshing, inspirational start to a beautiful adventure. I recently heard a quote: “Stepping out of your comfort zone is only the first step..." I interpret it to mean make personal and meaningful connections, have deeper conversations and explore every opportunity you are given.