On January 25, 2017, the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure & Environment (ESSIE) hosted a networking opportunity in the Evans Champions Club inside the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The “ESSIE Evening with Industry” event reoccurs each semester and allows students to interact with employers from the civil and environmental engineering fields.

“At the ESSIE Evening with Industry , all the employers were from the civil and environmental engineering sector,” said Aschkan Omidvar, a transportation engineering graduate student. “Within a few hours, students could get the most out of this opportunity by talking to employers, networking, and receiving feedback on their resume, among others.”

Omidvar also said that one of the benefits of this event was that all ESSIE students were encouraged to meet and mingle with representatives from new companies that participated this year.Among the 18 employers registered were representatives from Scalar Consulting Group Inc., Dewberry, AVCON Inc., Protean Design Group Inc., and the HNTB Corporation.

“I have spoken with many companies at both ESSIE evening [events], and have received many interview offers, and emails,” said Tyler Valila, a first-year graduate student in transportation engineering, who was part of the eager students who queued up in front of visiting recruiters. “The employers were so nice and made an effort to get to understand what my goals were as a professional.”

Deja Jackson, a second-year doctoral student in civil engineering, focused on lesser known employers instead of lining up for the well-known companies. As president of UF’s WTS (Advancing Women in Transportation) student chapter, Jackson was able to meet employers from statewide companies and make connections for her organization.