Grace attends Virginia Tech University, studying Civil Engineering, and will be graduating in 2022. We are thrilled to tell you that Grace has accepted a full-time position with SCS after graduation. Lindsay Evans of SCS Human Resources interviewed Grace to get an inside look at her thoughts about SCS’s Internship Program.
What is your title at SCS Engineers? Would you please describe your responsibilities at SCS?
My title at SCS is Intern Engineer. My responsibilities include assisting the SCS Midlothian, VA office on a variety of projects, including landfill engineering, landfill gas engineering, and mining engineering projects. I also have done a good amount of Construction Quality Assurance (CQA) out in the field. I do a lot of engineering work within Civil 3D and technical reporting for EPA and VDEQ involving landfill gas monitoring and data review.
What was your favorite part about our internship program?
My favorite part of the program is definitely the intern presentation day. Although it is certainly nerve-racking, I love being able to hear what all the other interns across the U.S. were involved in at SCS Engineers.
How would you describe our company culture?
The company culture at SCS is one of my most favorite parts of getting to work here. As an intern, I have the opportunity to be a part of a team with responsibilities and access to a plethora of resources within my Midlothian office and throughout the company. It’s awesome that all SCS personnel are willing to help from far and wide; everyone is just an MS-Teams call away. I’ve had incredible mentors at SCS who fostered an amazing learning and working environment for me.
What advice would you give to future interns at SCS?
My biggest piece of advice is never to be afraid to ask questions! As I said before, there are so many experienced professionals at SCS, and as interns, we should definitely take advantage of learning from them! Asking questions enabled me to grow and learn more than I would have had I not asked.
On what cool project have you worked?
I’ve gotten to work on tons of fun projects so far, but a notable one is using Leapfrog Works and 3D modeling. I take data given to me by either field personnel or the client and transform a model depicting gas wells within the landfill. It provides a visualization of liquid levels and obstructions to each well. This is cool because I also create surfaces from the interpolated liquid elevations, which gives a better understanding of where the liquid is most present within the landfill, which could indicate higher temperatures.
Do you feel that your work at SCS has made a difference in our environment?
It is fulfilling to know that the projects I work on, such as emissions management and monitoring, reporting, and communicating, positively affect the environment.
What have you learned the most in your internship?
I’ve certainly learned a lot being an intern at SCS since the summer of 2020. Something that sticks with me is that it’s crucial to be reliable and rely on others to collaborate and work cohesively on project teams. The best projects are successful due to the effectiveness of the project team behind them!
Our clients and SCSers are excited to have Grace, another amazing YP, join SCS Engineers as an Associate Professional!
If you are interested in the internship program at SCS for the 2022 summer, please visit SCS’s Careers page in December 2021 to apply.
SCS welcomes our seven 2020 Summer Interns. Congratulations on reaching this most exciting stage in your life!
Click to learn more about Molly, Adam, Zach, Grace, Ruben, Taylor, and Carey.
Christina Finizio, a recent graduate from the University of Florida now holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. Her journey with SCS began last summer when she joined the Boca Raton team as an Intern. Christina did not always know she would become an engineer, she thought she would study International Business just like her sister, but that quickly changed.
In high school, she attended a Hackathon event that took place in San Francisco, and that is when her interest in engineering began. In this event, she got a glimpse of computer science and other areas; her instincts kept drawing her to engineering. She looked at her options, and many did not seem appealing to her until she looked into environmental engineering. It ultimately made sense to go that route; she always had an interest in the environment and was the President of the Environmental Club in high school.
While in college, she participated in an exchange program and flew out to Madrid for the spring semester. Her experience was unforgettable. During this time, she made friends from all over Europe and the world, improved her Spanish and explored the world of tapas. While there, she took care of business and had an internship with Sacyr’s (Valoriza Servicios Medioambientales), a construction firm, where she joined their Environmental Engineering group. Her internship focused on environmental and solid waste. This was the first time she was exposed to the solid waste industry, and where her interest grew.
After completing her exchange and internship program, she arrived home with a clear idea and knowledge of what she wanted to do next. She did her research and found a well-known professor who teaches and researches in solid waste at her university. She took his classes and studied with his group so she could become more knowledgeable.
Christina is was involved on campus and joined many student organizations. At one of the Society of Women Engineers’ (SWE) event, she met SCS’s Director of Talent Acquisition, Jennifer McCafferty. Christina was interested in SCS’s work and kept in touch with Jennifer. The following summer she applied to SCS’s internship program and was offered an internship in the Boca Raton, Florida office. She enjoyed the experience because it focused on solid waste management her primary area of interest.
Shortly after graduating, Christina joined the SCS team as an Associate Professional at the Tampa, Florida office. She loves the culture, and enjoys working with her team; they are exceptionally friendly and are always willing to lend a hand. She feels her success is in part, due to her team’s focus on their clients’ needs and believes this focus and the team’s communication style is valuable to clients, her team and herself.
Every day her work is different; she can be out in the field one day and in the office the other. She works on a variety of reports such as annual air monitoring and greenhouse gas reports; performs construction oversite for gas systems and system expansions. Her internship and new responsibilities give her a deeper understanding of the solid waste business, and how landfill gas can become a renewable energy resource rather than an environmental impact.
One of her biggest challenges is being able to imagine or see what is going on in the landfill. Landfills are complex requiring environmental monitoring and multiple systems for continuous protection; no doubt that Christina will continue to learn from the best in the business and continue to excel as an Associate Profesional.
Her advice to new interns is to always ask for help when you need it and offer support to those around you. You will be surprised how much you will learn from different areas and how friendly and willing to mentor everyone is. She feels this mantra was what prepared her for her current position.
Fun facts you should know about Christina; that she loves to salsa dance, cook, and travel. She is the first one in her immediate family to hold a degree in engineering and the STEM field. Christina is a valuable member of the SCS Tampa office team and the firm.
SCS Engineers is fortunate to include Christina and our many other Young Professionals at SCS on our teams.
