Knowledge Hub
Engineers of Tomorrow
As engineering progresses with new innovations and technologies, PEC engineers want to impart knowledge to the next generation of engineers. Stepping out and telling their personal stories as to what drove them to the engineering field is important… and it can be a lot of fun!
At PEC, we encourage our employees to look for opportunities to share their knowledge and experience with students. From the kid who plays with robots and drones to the kid who is constantly curious about how things work, they will be impacting communities and shaping the future long after us.
We talked with three PEC engineers about their recent experiences at career days.
What was the event? It was career day at Bishop Kelley High School, which I graduated from in 2000. I served on the STEM panel that day.
What was your presentation topic? I presented on my educational experience that led me to becoming an engineer, which began at BKHS. My story is unique because I actually wanted to be an art major, and I let counselors slowly steer me in the direction towards engineering.
What is your favorite part about doing these events? I love encouraging young potential engineers, who usually need a little extra encouragement since they tend to be more introverted.
How do these events forward our mission to “energize communities, shape the future, and guide the way”? There is always room for more engineers in our industry, and it helps to let students know this to encourage them to pursue engineering if they have an interest in it. In the process, it can help them create a good lifestyle for themselves while also serving the community to shape a better community and future.
My favorite presentation that I have been doing for about 10 years now is presenting the Tulsa Engineering Foundation (TEF) scholarships in front of about 300+ HS students during the EWeek Student Breakfast. During the breakfast, we have a series of engineers that paint a broad and detailed picture of the different engineering options to pursue, and then I get to help present the scholarships from TEF, ASCE, and APWA to the senior recipients. I have been serving on the TEF scholarship committee and as a TEF trustee/officer since 2014.
The week following EWeek, TEF also hosts the Tulsa Engineering Challenge, which is for 4th-12th grades, and where students participate in a selection of engineering challenges. The goal is to introduce students to engineering with a positive experience that they can hopefully build on in the future. In addition, TEF also provides up to $300 grants for classrooms to use for a STEM activity, and many teachers use the grant to buy students materials for the Engineering Challenge. You can check out a helpful link that talks about our EWeek events and the following Engineering Challenge.
What was the event? Career fair for Professionals and Entrepreneurs at The Independent Middle School
What was your presentation topic? It was a Q&A with groups of students on my education, profession, and engineering in general.
What is your favorite part about doing these events? It’s rare, but once in a while you get a young person interested in the job for the same reasons it appealed to you at that age.
How do these events forward our mission to “energize communities, shape the future, and guide the way”? It seems like there are fewer young people in engineering, and if we can encourage more and support them while in school to stay in the engineering program and not switch to an easier major when it gets difficult, we just may be able to shape the future for both the communities we serve, but also help PEC continue to grow.
What was the event? Career Connections for Students Program at Garden City Achieve
What was your presentation topic? I presented on engineering as a career, talked about PEC and what all we do, typical classes for a civil engineering degree and degree requirements, engineering licensure, and typical work we do on water/wastewater team.
What is your favorite part about doing these events? My favorite part is educating students on the options they have as a career – engineering is a very broad scope and most of what we do is unseen to the public, so it’s a bit unknown to most people.
How do these events forward our mission to “energize communities, shape the future, and guide the way”? Students often don’t know just how many career options they have available to them. Often, they think that certain careers are out of reach, or they simply don’t know many of them exist. Engineering is a career that most students don’t hear much about in detail. Overall enrollment in engineering programs is starting to trend down, so it’s important for us to reach out to students to get them interested in looking at engineering as a career. For this talk in particular, the alternative high school programs don’t often hear about many diverse career fields. It’s important to let these students know that there are so many possibilities open to them, to encourage them to look into lots of options as they make future plans, and no career is off limits to explore.
