“I have always loved science and math and knew I wanted to be an engineer. I choose civil engineering because it allows you to work on projects that impact your community’s everyday lives. Civil engineering also provides so many opportunities to help improve our community’s environmental sustainability,” said CEE Valedictorian Julia Cadman.
Her dream job is a position that would help to reduce her community’s environmental impact through sustainable infrastructure and development projects. Next year, she will start her path to that career as she takes a position as a site engineer for Dewberry in Fairfax, Virginia. While working, she will also be continuing her education with Virginia Tech to get a master’s degree in civil engineering focusing in water resources and environmental engineering.
Julia was involved in a number of clubs and organizations at Virginia Tech including the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Concrete Canoe, Concrete for Kids, the Sustainable Land Development Club, Tau Beta Pi and Chi Epsilon. Her favorite memories of her involvement though were the “pour days” for Concrete Canoe. “You spend months leading up to that day working on the canoe hill design, creating and testing mix designs, and building the form. It is special to get your hands messy and see it all come together,” she said.