Growing up in Jackson, I had it good. My walk to school, Jackson Academy, was less than half a mile and if I wasn’t asleep or out with my friends, I was at school. I did show choir, sports broadcasting, tutored kids and spent a great deal of time studying.
I didn’t understand it at the time, but what made my formative years so great was my autonomy. I could stay at the school working a broadcast or rehearsal until 10 p.m., walk home and go to bed without a second thought.
Moving away to study civil engineering, I realized that most of my peers didn’t grow up with the level of autonomy that I enjoyed, and that played a big role in the passion I have for civil engineering. So far, I’ve learned a lot more than I bargained for, but it opened the door to understanding the broader complex system of infrastructure that connects and builds our communities…