\u201cKier + Wright validated my chosen career path,\u201d said Liz Johnson, a project engineer at K+W in Livermore. \u201cThe training, mentoring and hands-on project experience that I\u2019ve gained here have helped me become the engineer I always wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz\u2019s interest in civil engineering began in high school when her mother told her that she could build wells in Africa if she was an engineer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that was so cool. I realized that civil engineering was a path I could use to design things that improved communities and made peoples\u2019 lives better. That really excited me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz was interested in physics from an early age, but didn\u2019t necessarily feel like math came naturally to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I had to work twice as hard at it, but I always really enjoyed problem-solving,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt a sense of accomplishment when I worked through a particular type of problem until I truly understood it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz believes her drive and tenacity come from her background in sports. She played basketball in high school and was recruited to play point guard at San Jose State University.<\/p>\n
\u201cAthletics shaped me,\u201d she said. \u201cSports taught me to dig deep and persevere. I think this is a big part of why I am so committed to my career, my work and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two years into her studies at San Jose State, Liz welcomed her son into the world. She took very little time off from school, then balanced her college classes, a part-time job and being a new mom, ultimately completing her civil engineering degree and two internships in just over five years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t easy,\u201d she said. \u201cMy commitment to doing well for my son, Kairo, kept me going. I was so fortunate to have a great, supportive family to help me balance being a good mom and doing well in school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like most civil engineering students, Liz didn\u2019t learn about land development in school. She was interested in water resources and completed an internship at the Contra Costa County Water District.<\/p>\n
After completing her degree, Liz came to work for Kier + Wright and has found opportunities to apply the knowledge of utility infrastructure and hydrology gained during her studies and internships to the large-scale commercial and industrial land development projects that she designs and manages today.<\/p>\n
\u201cKier + Wright is a fast-paced environment,\u201d she said. \u201cYou learn quickly here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz\u2019s logical, analytical approach to solving problems helped her succeed at K+W.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf something doesn\u2019t make sense to me, I figure it out or ask the question,\u201d she said. \u201cI always remind my team that it\u2019s our job to be accountable for every detail. At the end of the day, engineers are problem-solvers\u2014and you can\u2019t solve a problem if you don\u2019t understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Early in her career, Liz sometimes found it challenging to command authority when working with predominantly male design and construction teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worried sometimes that my voice sounded too small or too high-pitched,\u201d she reflects. \u201cSometimes it made me nervous going into meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz also wondered if she needed to be more aggressive and demanding to get the results that some of the men that she worked with expected\u2014and then she made an important decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided I was tired of worrying about that kind of stuff. I decided to be myself\u2014I am happy with my voice and the way I communicate with others,\u201d Liz declares.<\/p>\n
Liz quickly realized that confidence was all she needed to get the results she needed. With this confidence, she could finally see one her greatest strengths.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmpathy\u2014and the ability to see that everyone is different\u2014is a good thing,\u201d she said. \u201cMy empathy helps me make connections and see things that others might miss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz also feels like things are changing. She notes that it is increasingly common to find women leading the design of the projects that she is working on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was recently on a call for 200 Park in downtown San Jose,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI realized that almost every design discipline on the call was being represented by a woman responsible for managing a key aspect of the project\u2019s design. We all kind of paused to appreciate how great that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liz\u2019s advice to women in engineer? Be yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re comfortable with who you are and you\u2019re confident, you\u2019ll succeed,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing the best version of yourself doesn\u2019t look the same for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cKier + Wright validated my chosen career path,\u201d said Liz Johnson, a project engineer at K+W in Livermore. \u201cThe training, mentoring and hands-on project experience that I\u2019ve gained here have helped me become the engineer I always wanted to be.\u201d Liz\u2019s interest in civil engineering began in high school when her mother told her that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n