Co-op and EWB USA Experiences Give Marquette Student a Career Jump-Start
While Adrianna has been studying at Marquette University in Wisconsin to earn her degree in civil engineering, she has also been working as a co-op intern for CH2M HILL's transport business, as well as contributing her energy, time, and excitement to EWB USA. Since the summer of 2007, Adrianna alternates semesters between university and CH2M HILL, taking her learning experience beyond books and the classroom and into real-life experiences and projects like the I-94 North-South reconstruction.
Adrianna serves as the project manager for EWB USA's La Garrucha water project to design and implement a water system for 1,500 residents of a rural Guatemalan community. Some of the residents previously had a small water distribution system which drew from a contaminated spring with a low flow rate while others had to draw water from other sources. This led to problems with infant mortality and school attendance, as children had to help their parents haul water from distant sources. Led by CH2M HILL mentor Mike Paddock, Adrianna and four other Marquette University seniors, and fellow EWB USA members, were able to use some clever engineering to design a conduction line at an affordable cost for the community, using the community's existing spring and a purchased spring and implementing slow sand filtration to make sure the water from both is drinkable. Construction was completed in August 2009, and the people of La Garrucha are enjoying fresh, clean, and accessible water. Read more about the La Garrucha project in Marquette Magazine.
In the summer of 2010, Adrianna accepted a full-time position in CH2M HILL's Chicago office
"I have learned to appreciate engineering as much more than math and science problems. Through EWB USA, I've learned to not just think as a student, but to think as an engineer dissecting and solving a real-life problem. I am so grateful for my skills and how I can give back. It's great to see that CH2M HILL also believes this and sponsors service through our skills. These experiences reflect well beyond career benefits: they reflect on me and who I want to be."
— Adrianna Stanley, CH2M HILL Co-op Student, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(fourth from left in picture)
