Kit McLewee 

Civil Engineer, Massachusetts Department Of Transportation 

Paving the Way

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Community has always been very important in my life. Finding the balance of participating in social activities and my inherent introversion is a life journey. I am extremely grateful for the community I have found in WTS. 

Graduating in a STEM field from a historically all-women’s liberal college, I had my reservations about entering the work force in a white male dominated profession. Thankfully, I was introduced to WTS through a coworker and found a more supportive network than I could’ve hoped for. Majoring in engineering at a liberal arts college gave me unique opportunities to immerse myself into engineering while also nurturing my creative side. This helped me grow into the confident learner and explorer I am today, which I have continued through my time at WTS. 

I am extremely grateful for my mentor, Kate Maker, who guided me through my 2022 EP year. Kate helped me engage with WTS when I struggled the most from zoom fatigue (thank you Zoom University). Soon after we met, I was surprised to see a familiar name, Kate’s, on an instruction document a coworker sent to me for a completely unrelated project. That was the start of seeing WTS pop up in my life unexpectedly. I am in awe of how massive this organization is and where I find connections in surprising places – like through pets. 

I was cat sitting for an owner who mentioned that their sister was in transportation after I told them I was a civil engineer. I asked if the sister happened to be in WTS and she was! I reached out to the sister because literally every WTS member I have met so far had been very nice and eager to talk. As a covid-hire who knows very little to nothing about working in an office full time, I always appreciate hearing people’s office and work experiences. I was thrilled when she happily agreed to meet in person to talk transportation. It was interesting learning about another transportation-related job outside of highway and how we still had so much in common with work struggles and politics.  

I look forward to future WTS stories. Thank you for your welcoming and supportive community, WTS.  

Annisha Borah, E.I.T.

Policy Analyst, U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center 

Reflection

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As I sat down to reflect on my time as part of the WTS-Boston Emerging Professionals (EP) program, I decided to look back at my application to see why I wanted to join in the first place. Having started my career under the COVID-19 pandemic, I entered the workforce feeling disconnected from the field of transportation and uninspired by my work. I hoped that my involvement with WTS through the EP program would help me feel reinvigorated and spark my passion for my career once again.

As I sit here a year later, I can say that WTS has done that for me and so much more. There are three distinct areas of the EP program: mentorship, committee involvement, and event participation. Each of these areas provided me with new and different opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally.

The mentorship was the most valuable aspect of the program to me. I have been meeting with my mentor monthly to discuss topics including Professional Engineer licensure, career path, the day in the life of a transportation engineer, resume support, and interview tips. My mentor brought junior colleagues to our meetings so I could hear their perspectives, and she connected me with other professionals in the field.

I was involved with the TransportationYOU committee, which focuses on STEM outreach to young girls. The most fulfilling aspect for me was the volunteering opportunities at various events over the course of the year. I volunteered at a Girl Scouts event, a Boston Public Schools event, and the Cambridge Science Festival. The activity we did at these events was simple, but the kids enjoyed it, and I loved the opportunity to connect with kids in the community.

The WTS events that I attended throughout the year were also very beneficial. I attended a professional development event on salary negotiation which really helped me think through my value to my organization and how that should correspond to my wage. My favorite events were the mixers, which are events held at a restaurant or bar after work that allows us to meet and chat with other WTS members in a casual setting. At these events, I met women across the field of transportation, and this helped me understand my role within the field and learn about the extent of the opportunities within it as well. I even met women that work at my organization that I had never met before.

WTS-Boston and the EP program helped me grow in my confidence as a professional and understand my value in the workplace, while also providing me with relationships and learning opportunities to continue that growth into my career and community.

Judith Gibson-Okunieff

Civil Engineer, Massachusetts Department Of Transportation 

WTS Emerging Professionals Newsletter

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As a member of the Emerging Professionals Program, I set four professional goals for myself this year. I am an avid list maker and goal setting is a typical part of my professional development and how I can track my achievements. For me, a list is how I track my achievements. A check is good, an empty box a disappointment.

My goals were to: (1) Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam; (2) Get a job in design; (3) Become a CE II at MassDOT; (4) Be an active member of a WTS-Boston committee.

As we approach the end of the year, I have been reflecting on those goals. I’ve accomplished two of the four goals: I got a job in design and became an active member in WTS-Boston’s Communications Committee. But those two incomplete goals leave me feeling slightly dissatisfied.

Despite the unchecked boxes, I’ve realized this year was more successful than I thought. There’s a lot of work behind checking off those boxes that goes unrecognized. Not only did I achieve my goal of getting a job in design, but I had to leave my comfort zone and learn to advocate for myself. I made the switch from construction, a place where I was settled and starting to accept more responsibility, to a team on the other side of the state, new coworkers, and new dynamics, starting over again. And while I haven’t yet passed the FE, I started the process; I have a test date and I’ve been making my way through problem sets and classes.

At the beginning of my professional career, so much of how I viewed myself was based on the achievements of my peers. At WTS, I’ve met women in all different stages of their career who started where I did. They remind me that this isn’t a race, that our careers often aren’t a linear path. And most importantly, they remind me to celebrate the little achievements, the ones I hadn’t set as goals. I’ve been at MassDOT now for nearly three years. In some ways time has flown by and I think about all the things I haven’t accomplished, yet, I also realize how much growth has occurred in the last year alone. I’m so grateful this past year for all my mentors, formal and informal, who have made me feel seen and heard. When I make my lists, I always leave space at the end to pencil in the things I achieved after the fact. To my goals list this year, I’m adding: (5) embrace the uncomfortable.