Thanks to mentor, job shadow provides mentee with unprecedented look at engineering, architecture

By Engineering mentee Kamila Turczewski (Mentor Martha McJilton, Eng '87, CFO at Ellinwood Machado and co-founder, Contessa Construction, in Atlanta)

During winter break, I traveled from Milwaukee to Atlanta to visit my mentor, Martha McJilton. She is the CFO for a structural engineering firm, Ellinwood Machado, and one of the founders of a construction service, Contessa Construction. My two-day trip consisted of meeting many of her co-workers, traveling to other types of firms related to engineering, visiting project sites and touring water treatment facilities. My visit aimed to accomplish a few goals: teach me more about civil engineering that I can’t get in a classroom setting; experience the different disciplines that lie within civil engineering since it’s a very broad field; grasp a better idea of what I want to do in the future; and learn more about the business side of engineering and the process of a project from start to end, which is also something that isn’t taught in classrooms.

The first day consisted of office visits all day. We spent time at Ellinwood Machado, where she shared some of her roles as CFO, including learning about the business side of engineering that people don’t typically discuss, how firms get paid, financial management and certain types of paperwork she completes in her position with the CEOs. I also spoke with engineers in different departments, with the most time talking to structural engineers. These are the individuals who get plans from the architects and do the work to ensure the building’s ability to stand. Martha knew I was very interested in this area since I will be an intern for my co-op next fall with HGA in Milwaukee. It was great to see the organization of a structural engineering firm and how everything comes together to build high-rise buildings. This experience allowed me to feel that structural engineering was something I could see myself doing in the future.

Martha and her business partner, Angela, showed me their construction service business that they manage. This area doesn’t intrigue me as much as structural engineering, I loved talking to them and learning about this business, which focuses on managing/fixing pipes and painting MSE walls along highways. They’re small jobs, but extremely important for the wellbeing of infrastructure. Many of the pipes underground or at water treatment plants are rusted and prone to bursting if they are not treated, so that’s where a business like this helps. Their business also paints anti-graffiti paint along the walls of highways that help with this issue and make roadways look cleaner.

We also spent time at an architecture firm, The Preston Partnership, which was where Martha previously worked. I learned more about architects, including how they are hired first when a project is proposed and they design the whole structure. I was shown around their office talking to their principal architect and an interior designer. I tried virtual reality for one of their past projects, a mixed-use apartment complex, a building that is commercial on the first floor and the rest are residential units. The principal architect showed me how to use this foreign piece of technology, and I learned that they use that for their customers to see how the project will look in person before it is built. It helps to find any issues with the design that could get overlooked in plans. After this visit, I realized that architecture and structural engineering had a lot of overlap. Architecture now seems to be a very viable option for me as something I would like to do in the future. Even though it isn’t engineering, I was told that a lot of architects started as civil engineers!

On the second day, we spent most of the day in the field. We visited a construction site for the implementation of new highways and ramps to help with the heavy traffic flow; the difference between unpainted and painted walls with anti-graffiti paint; and toured two different water treatment facilities. This was a fun learning experience to see these massive facilities function at such a high capacity for people to have water supplied in their homes or businesses. We almost saw the whole process from sewer water becoming clean tap water!

This job shadow was one of my best experiences at Marquette to date. It was eye-opening to see so many aspects of engineering I’ve never seen. While I have learned a great deal within my classes, these were experiences that I can’t get from a classroom. I gained a lot of insight on infrastructure and its impact on my daily life. I learned more about the professional environment of civil engineering and how projects are managed. Most importantly, I feel more guided as to what I want to do in my future after I graduate: go to graduate school. If I want to be a structural engineer or an architect, I learned I should get my masters.

Thanks to Martha for letting me have this experience. She is such a great mentor and did a great job making this experience amazing by teaching me about civil engineering. 

2019-20 Marquette Mentors Resource Guide