In my interview for an internship at Dewberry’s Danville, Virginia, office back in 2021, my business unit manager asked me where I saw myself in five years. My goal was to be a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) living and working in Colorado. While that was only a few years ago, half of my goal has already been achieved. After my college graduation, I was able to make the big move from east to west, and I am now working as a graduate engineer in the Denver, Colorado, office—the place where I have always wanted to be.
Interning in Danville
After my first semester at George Mason University’s Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering, a friend suggested I apply for an internship with an engineering firm in my hometown of Danville, Virginia. To be completely honest, I didn’t know my small town had an engineering firm. It turned out to be Dewberry, which also has strong ties to George Mason’s engineering department. I applied and got the job!
I was a site/civil engineering intern in Danville for two summers, which helped me learn so much about the AEC industry. Additionally, once my supervisors learned of my goal to transfer to Colorado, they helped me every step of the way to make it a reality. Brian Bradner and Leslie Mantiply helped organize meetings with the Denver office so I could meet the team and get up to speed on the projects the office was working on. Since the Denver office undertakes many water projects, I worked on similar projects in Danville to continue to prepare for the transfer post-graduation.
Transferring to Colorado
Ever since starting full time in the Denver office, I’ve been given the opportunity to work on many different projects—from wastewater treatment plant calculations to transmission main design and alignment studies. I feel like my internship experience in the Danville office set me up to be able to work on different project aspects. For example, I have been given the opportunity to help in the design of the Northern Integrated Supply Project conveyance pipelines which stretches over 80 miles in Colorado. I also had the opportunity to work on an alignment study in Arlington, Virginia, due to my familiarity with the area. Another big project I am helping with is the Polk Regional Water Cooperative in Polk County, Florida. This project has helped me to transition from working with the smaller pipe projects of rural Virginia to much larger transmission mains.
Ever since starting full time in the Denver office, I’ve been given the opportunity to work on many different projects—from wastewater treatment plant calculations to transmission main design and alignment studies.”
Ali Hill
Connections Across the Enterprise
These are only a few of the opportunities to collaborate across business units that working in multiple offices has provided me. Not only am I working on local Denver projects, but I am also working on projects all over the East Coast. I’ve built many connections across the company and have been given the opportunity to help multiple communities develop critical infrastructure.
This collaboration has also expanded my network across the company, and therefore expanded my resources, friendships, and potential perspectives. I value the ability to hear from my peers from various offices and business units when I run into a problem; each individual brings their unique experiences and helps me see the issue in a new way. I am thankful that I found the Dewberry community that has welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to continue fulfilling my dreams every day.
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