Read the reflections of our 2024 Emerging Professionals:

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Alexandria (Ali) Hiller 

District 1 Assistant Resident Engineer

Massachusetts Department of Transportation

My first year as a young professional has been a journey, one that I have enjoyed, but also has taken some time to adjust to. Going from a fast paced and very social college experience, to moving home and converting to a more professional lifestyle was a drastic transition. WTS and the Emerging Professionals Program (EP) have made this transition easier by providing guidance and experiences that have given me the opportunity to grow as a young professional.

At the beginning of the year I had set goals for myself to work on throughout my time as an EP. To grow my network, to pass my Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE), and to work on my professional skill set are all examples of what I wanted to work on throughout the year. 

While some goals are everlasting and I will be working on them throughout my entire career, having the WTS community and events to help out with them has been extremely beneficial. Time management has been one of my biggest goals this year and trying to do things in a more timely manner, rather than leaving things till the last minute. I feel that I have overcome my procrastination habits by keeping a calendar and trying to get things done when they are told to me, instead of pushing them off and doing other tasks. By going to the monthly luncheons and taking part in the Special Projects committee, WTS has helped me make connections in the industry outside of the Berkshires and in both the public and private sectors. Getting to go through this process with two other young and amazing professionals has made the experience much better. From hearing about what they are doing in their positions and being able to ask them for advice, it has been great to go through this year with them.

As I approach the end of my year as an EP, I look back and see what I have accomplished in my first year in the industry. From helping plan the June Awards Banquet, to making many connections for myself and for peers in other industries, and passing my Fundamentals of Engineering Exam, I feel very accomplished to say the least. When starting my career, I was nervous that transportation wasn’t going to be the correct field of civil engineering for me, but looking at it now I feel inspired by all of the endless opportunities that come with transportation. Not only will there always be a need for transportation engineers, there will always be room to grow and that is what I find to be the most exciting.

 

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Billie Li

District 2 Environmental Engineer

Massachusetts Department of Transportation

I felt like I was in a bit of a different boat than my cohort, entering the WTS EP Program. I had been working as an Environmental Engineer for the last few years but was new to the transportation sector. Shortly after hearing I was selected to be an EP, I also found out that I was getting a promotion at work. A lot of changes happened quickly over the last year. In many ways WTS was a large part of my success in stepping up to my new role.

Currently, I am the District Environmental Engineer for MassDOT - District 2 in Northampton. MassDOT is a large organization that encourages cross collaboration amongst its many departments and sections. Even so, with busy schedules it can often be hard to have a casual conversation with some of the senior staff. Being a part of WTS and the EP program allowed for that casual face time with senior staff across many private and public organizations. It allowed me to not only discuss my work topics at department meetings, but also allowed me to have conversations with District Highway Directors from other districts at luncheons; hear from the heads of other transportation agencies; better understand the impacts of DEI programs at work; and meeting colleagues at consulting firms and other agencies in similar stages of their career.

I greatly appreciated being able to participate in the EP program as someone who lives in Western Mass. Most events held in Boston require a 2-hour drive (not including commuter traffic - if you know, you know). Having the ability to attend WTS events for free for a year was that little boost of encouragement to get out there and network with folks in my industry.

I recently attended a WTS Luncheon that hosted ‘Women of the Big Dig’. I was really inspired by many of the stories and anecdotes that these women shared. It is a unique experience to be able to hear from people who have climbed the ranks of their organization over a 30-year career. Many of these women were not afraid to rock the boat and were pioneers and change makers for the industry we know today. It can be easy to get lost in the minutia of day-to-day work, but I appreciate these types of events that keep people engaged. It’s a good reminder of just how important all of our work is.

In addition to the EP Program, I was also co-chair of the DEI Committee. The DEI Committee has accomplished a lot this year including a speaker panel event, two book club meetings, and monthly e-blasts for the DEI In Motion series. The planning and coordination of these events has boosted my professional development and provided opportunities to gain more experience leading and facilitating events. I also had the privilege of participating as a speaker in a panel event put on by the UMass Amherst WTS Student Chapter. This event was a great experience as I got to share insights and meet the future cohort of transportation engineers. 

 

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Sarah Kasanovich

District 6  Utilities Review Engineer

Massachusetts Department of Transportation

I was encouraged by my boss, Erin Kinahan, to join the Emerging Professionals Program. Erin was an incredibly talented engineer who spent a majority of her career utilizing her experience as a woman in transportation to uplift the younger generation of women in our field. She recognized my passion for building multifaceted connections and creating meaningful networks within the public transportation sector and saw my potential, even when I didn’t. The Emerging Professionals Program seemed like a perfect platform to channel that energy. I was eager to become a part of a community where I could learn from others while simultaneously contributing my own insights and ideas. She consistently pushed me to be a part of this incredible community of Women in Transportation and in turn, was a major contributor to my success within the program.

Throughout my tenure within the EP Program, I have been provided opportunities that have allowed me to focus on and achieve goals set to help further my career in engineering. One especially major goal of mine was to obtain my E.I.T, which I completed towards the end of September, thanks to the persistent dedication and inspiration from my mentors and other members of the program. I also had the privilege of organizing key events that brought together professionals from various disciplines of the transportation engineering field, both private and public. Most prominent to myself was helping to organize through my committee the discussion on the Big Dig and a recent podcast that gained popularity due its accurate and refreshingly positive representation of the biggest transportation project in US history. I also helped to coordinate an informatory event centered on obtaining a Professional Engineering (PE) license, a critical milestone for most engineers, which I have felt is an accomplishment that has not been encouraged as much as it should, particularly within the public sector. It was incredibly rewarding to see the impact these events had on our members and attendees, providing them with valuable knowledge and inspiring them to reach new heights in their career. 

Being a part of this organization has been one of the most fulfilling experiences in my career thus far. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and driven group of women. The connections I have made, the skills I have gained, and the sense of community I have found are invaluable. I have learned that success is not just about individual achievement but about lifting each other up and creating spaces where everyone can thrive. 

I owe a great debt of gratitude to the pioneers of women in transportation who paved the way for such an organization to exist. Their courage, perseverance, and vision have created ample opportunities for women like me to not just participate in this field, but to lead and innovate. It is because of their trailblazing efforts that I have the privilege to stand here today, contributing to a legacy of excellence and empowerment.