Engineering Her Future: Discovering a Career Path Through Real-World Experience
This month, we’re proud to feature one of our senior student associates who recently presented a remarkable project at UC Berkeley’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni Banquet. Jaydy C. ‘25 shared her experience that captured both her creativity and growing passion for environmental engineering.
Over the past few months, Jaydy has been working on designing an outdoor classroom located on UC Berekeley’s campus. “I was excited to do this project because I had previously expressed interest in wanting to go into environmental engineering, so I was given an assignment to test my environmentalist skills,” she shared. By reimagining the campus landscape and integrating different methods of green stormwater infrastructures, she transformed a simple landscape into a space where sustainability and education intersect. After interviewing engineering professors and graduate students, she developed her own design and brought it to life as a 3D model.
Jaydy’s internship at UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering has been both inspiring and eye opening. “Meeting the community that surrounds the College of Engineering, hearing their stories and what they want to do with their careers, has been a rewarding experience,” she said. In addition to Jaydy’s community of mentors, her hands-on experience in the field brought clarity to her future. She shared: “When I first started working in this department, I knew I was interested in engineering but didn’t know what kind. The more time I spent at UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering, the more I realized I wanted to go into environmental engineering to help preserve the environment in any way I can.”
As Jaydy looks ahead to a future in environmental engineering, her experience reminds us why opportunities like these matter. Experiences that connect our students' passions with purpose help shape future career paths. They empower young leaders to find their voice, build confidence, and take bold steps toward the impact they hope to make in the world.
