By Chloe Laszlo '25

Akron, Ohio-- On September 6, Dr. Umair Shakir, assistant professor of civil engineering, took a group of junior and senior civil engineering students to the “Rich DiGeronimo Constructor for a Day” program in Northeast Ohio sponsored by the Construction Employees Association. This annual event allows students to gain hands-on experience at active construction sites and learn directly from professionals in the field.

In the morning, students were split into groups and assigned to different companies to shadow for the day. Civil engineering majors Catherin Klopp ‘25 and Christopher Tsouras ’26 were among the 10 Mount Union students who had the opportunity to shadow two Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 12 engineers. They were shown two highway paving job sites, where the engineers guided them through the work and answered all of their questions.

At the end of the day, the students attended a career fair where they had the chance to network with the participating companies. Many of the companies were seeking co-ops or interns, offering students valuable opportunities to expand their networks and potentially secure a job.

“I learned a lot about what ODOT does, and I also got to talk with other construction companies about what specifically they did and what would maybe suit me,” said Klopp. “This experience led me to some new connections with the companies that attended, and I actually have a job shadow coming up with one of them.”

Tsouras, who had the opportunity to hand his resume to several companies, expressed his gratitude to Shakir for going out of his way to provide this valuable learning opportunity for his students. “Really just a great experience,” said Tsouras.

Klopp also expressed her appreciation of the experience and cited it as a great opportunity to learn about the work of contracting companies. 

Thanks to Shakir and the Rich DiGeronimo Constructor for a Day Program, the students deepened their understanding of the civil engineering field and gained valuable insights into careers in construction. 

Learn more about the opportunities for civil engineering majors at Mount Union at https://www.mountunion.edu/academics/undergraduate-degrees/civil-engineering