During her time at Penn College, she emerged as a leader. Regina's positive attitude, work ethic, and can-do spirit made her a natural role model. As a staff sergeant in Air National Guard, she was deployed twice while pursuing her bachelor’s in civil engineering. But that didn’t stand in her way. Nothing did. Her academic achievements and real-world experience earned her multiple job offers before graduation. Today she’s putting her experience to work for an engineering firm in King of Prussia.
In grade school, we went on a field trip to this community center nearby and we took a test to determine what occupation would be most applicable to our personalities and what we find interesting. My No. 1 was carpentry. After the test we had a hands-on portion and I made a shelf. I loved it and how we were able to see what we made with our hands.
I believe that civil engineering is as big as you can get when it comes to creating something for everybody to see and for you to be proud of. Throughout my time at Penn College, I have had the joy of experiencing hands-on learning and seeing what I can make using countless programs to build bridges, analyze concrete slabs and many other topics.
The love the voice that students have concerning their education and how helpful the faculty and staff are. I was able to navigate two deployments during college and I never had to worry. My dean was instrumental in making it a seamless and stress-free process. I've navigated testing out of courses and using life experience for college credits.
I also had conversations with some professors in reference to gaining more experience with different programs. As a result, in our Geotechnical Engineering and Reinforced Concrete Classes, we used about seven new programs for multiple projects and assignments. Employers I interviewed with were impressed that I had a chance to work in multiple programs and gain that beginner experience.
Penn College has built a reputation of producing hardworking, motivated graduates. When I was an intern at an engineering firm, my supervisor told me he would rather hire a Penn College graduate because he has seen the difference and appreciates our knowledge and work ethic. He specified that our first-year learning about surveying and where our data comes from as Civil Engineers is something not many other colleges do.
Penn College has so many majors where you get a hands-on education from professors who have spent a career in the industry and now they teach students what to expect when they start working in their field.
Small classes give the students an opportunity to have a relationship with the professor. As a student, I knew that I could walk into any professors' office hours and they would help me one-to-one. I can't imagine having a teacher that didn't know my name. Small classrooms also give students a better chance of getting to know each other. We created study groups and all helped each other get through difficult concepts and assignments. I forged a great bond with some of my classmates that I hope will last for a lifetime.
Penn College has all kinds of programs where you can learn a trade hands-on while receiving a degree. The hands-on education is great for learning what is integral to gaining experience and succeeding in the field, and the degree gives you the opportunity to expand to management roles as you grow within your company.
You will be entering a program that you have to work hard to complete, and there is a lot of math involved, but it will all be worth it in the end. Civil Engineering is one of the broadest aspects of engineering. This is important because if you don't like one aspect, for example designing water and wastewater systems, then you can change to structural engineering or any of the other disciplines we learn while attending Penn College.
Civil Engineering is all about helping the community and advancing society. Everything we do as engineers directly impacts our families and it’s great to be a part of something everyone can see and use.
"During the career fair, I had the pleasure of meeting many companies who were looking to hire new college grads for the summer of 2020. I managed to get a couple interviews, followed by a couple offers. I accepted an offer for a highway and traffic engineering position with a firm out of King of Prussia. My interview was almost two hours long because I clicked so well with the people. I knew that they were the company I wanted to work for."
During her time at Penn College, Regina was deployed twice including a six-month experience in Niger (pictured here). "I was able to navigate leaving and returning twice for deployments and I never had an unnecessary worry," she said. "My dean was instrumental in making it a seamless and stress-free process during the mental transition that we all have to face coming back into the civilian world."
Regina was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Central Pennsylvania Section for outstanding academic achievement, an honor that earned her a $2,000 award.
She's a role model, not just for women looking to enter a male dominated field or take on a STEM career. But, for up-and-coming civil engineers everywhere. A commitment to her future profession, academic excellence, and campus involvement earned Regina Student of the Month during her senior year.
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