Alexa, play "Pomp and Circumstance"
4/26/2022
Spring is here, which means the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering graduate students are headed to graduation.
Ian Germoglio, master’s student
Q: What are your next steps after graduation?
A: “I am joining ENSCO Rail, a company that develops technology for the rail industry around the world, in Charlottesville, VA.”
Q: What is a memory from graduate school you are fond of?
A: “One of the best memories I have is from the first conference I had the chance to present along with my advisor Dr. Riley Edwards.”
Izak Said, doctoral student
Q: What are your next steps after graduation?
A: “Hardware engineer at Apple.”
Q: What was your favorite memory from graduate school?
A: “ICT’s winter open house — great gatherings and fantastic barbeque by Dave Lippert.”
Lama Abufares, master’s student
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: “I’m staying at UIUC for my PhD with professor (Imad) Al-Qadi as my advisor.”
Q: What is a memory from graduate school you are particularly fond of?
A: “My favorite memory in my two graduate years so far is dancing with Ballet Folklorico Mitotiani on Mexico’s Independence Day in September 2021. It was very exciting to get to know another culture and to share those happy moments with diverse students on campus!”
Max Potvin, master’s student
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: “I applied for a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in Poland for a year. If I don’t end up doing that, then I will likely apply to construction management roles.”
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from graduate school?
A: “My favorite memory from grad school was probably the field work that I was able to be a part of for various projects. I aided one project that took us to Mendota, IL and Truxton, AZ, and my project completed field work in Pueblo, CO.”
Qingqing Cao, doctoral student
Q: What are your next steps after graduation?
A: “I will be working as a software engineer for Twitter.”
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from graduate school?
A: “My favorite memory must be the testing time I had with my colleagues in the field. Even though we had to wake up very early and test hard in the field, it really gave me a sense of achievement when we saw our ideas were implemented smoothly and helped field workers. Also, I really appreciate my friends and colleagues who helped me either during tests or in other areas. They added laughter and sweetness to my PhD life.”
Taeyun Kong, master’s student
Q: What are your future plans after graduation?
A: “I am planning to continue studying and pursue a PhD degree after graduation under the supervision of professor (Erol) Tutumluer. I am very happy that I got the opportunity to continue to study the area that I am interested in here at UIUC.”
Q: Is there a particular memory from graduate school you treasure?
A: “One of my best memories is attending huge conferences as a graduate student. It was a good opportunity to meet great professors in-person and an informative time to learn many aspects in the field that I am dedicated in.”
Sachindra Dahal, doctoral student
Q: Do you have plans after graduation?
A: “I will be joining the industry and researching electric vehicle infrastructure to accelerate the adaptation of electric vehicles.”
Q: Tell us your favorite memory from graduate school?
A: “My favorite memory from graduate school was testing in Rantoul during different situations.”
Xiuyu Liu, doctoral student
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: “I will be working as a software engineer for Google.”
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from graduate school?
A: “My favorite memory is the fall retreat at Allerton Park in 2019. This retreat is memorable as it is one of the few group activities I attended before the pandemic. I worked with my colleagues to design some games for the group to play. The retreat relaxed me from a busy academic year and helped me build friendships with my colleagues.”
Congratulations to our grads!