How a Grandmother’s Words Shaped an Environmental Engineer

NAF alumnus shares how curiosity, community, and a passion for the environment shaped his engineering career.

For as long as I can remember, my grandma has been instrumental in shaping my outlook on life. At any given moment growing up, there was a strong possibility she’d be teaching me and my cousins about the natural world in one way or another. To name just a few examples that come to mind, we’d walk along the river behind her house, race sticks along the stream, collect and identify bugs, and sometimes just sit at a nearby bench and appreciate the sounds of birds chirping. From rock collection birthday gifts to yearly camping trips to the Poudre Canyon, I owe my affinity for the environment to her.

I vividly recall how on one of these camping trips to the Poudre Canyon, my grandma said something that’s always stuck with me. I couldn’t have been more than 6 years old, and along with my cousins, we’d throw sticks down the Cache la Poudre River to see which ones went fastest along the current. We’d watch and race these twigs along the bank until they disappeared, and I started to wonder, “Where do these sticks end up?”

Naturally, I deferred to the resident environmental expert, and she said that this is the same river that flows behind her house, over an hour away (far enough to where I’d fallen asleep on the drive up). My follow up question was, “Do you think the sticks we race up here are the same ones we race back home?”

I’ll never forget her answer. “It’s possible.”

While a relatively basic response, this moment opened my eyes to boundless opportunities. It took me time to fully grasp it but realizing that this river — like so many others — connects our country marked the beginning of my journey toward environmental awareness and a deeper relationship with STEM. I was lucky enough to enroll in Northridge STEM Academy in Greeley, CO, where my dedicated and attentive teachers helped me to further develop this ambition. Classes like 3D Solid Modeling and Principles of Engineering were invaluable experiences that provided the building blocks for my career and taught me the fundamentals I still fall back on today.

Through the Academy of Engineering pathway, NAF helped me secure an internship at Envirotech Services, where I quickly learned so much about lab environments and real-world applications of the engineering principles I was learning in class. I’m very grateful for these experiences, and I can’t imagine where I’d be today without them.

I continued my education and path with STEM at the Colorado School of Mines, where I graduated in May of 2025 with my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. Throughout my time there, I deepened my understanding of the environment and the impact we have on our surroundings. My hydrology lab stood out among my coursework, because of the days in the field where I’d tangibly interact with Clear Creek that flows through Golden, Colorado. My capstone design project is another highlight for me, as my team designed a heat exchanger system for a water treatment facility that would protect the nearby Monument Creek from the facility’s high temperature effluent.

Post graduation, I’ve moved back to my hometown of Greeley and am employed as an Engineering Associate Consultant for Environmental Resources Management (ERM). My day-to-day consists of taking groundwater and soil samples in rural areas that have potentially been contaminated due to oil drilling operations. Also, I’m a member of Northridge STEM Academy’s STEM advisory board and provide insight from not only the perspective of a former student, but as an environmental engineer in the industry. I feel a great deal of gratitude that I’m able to give back to the community that has provided me with so many opportunities and can only hope to demonstrate to other students with similar backgrounds that if you can picture it, in the words of my grandma, it’s possible.

A piece of advice I have for students looking to further their path in engineering is to not be afraid of trying new things, regardless of its connection to a STEM field. While it may seem counterintuitive, I’ve found that employers are looking not just for engineers who can complete assigned tasks, but for individuals who understand the greater impact of their work and can clearly communicate its significance. Sharing examples of what you’re genuinely passionate about with recruiters is a powerful way to demonstrate that ability. In interviews, I’d bring up participating in Mines Little Theatre club during my time in college and how that’s made me a more comfortable public speaker. I’ve also spoken on a panel at NAF Next 2025 and presented my capstone design project at the 2025 Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference.

Without this theater experience, I wouldn’t be nearly as at ease in these settings. I encourage everyone to pursue what sparks their curiosity—you never know how it might shape your path or define your sense of purpose.