From Uncertainty to Opportunity: How Campus Involvement Led One Student to a Career in Civil Engineering
October 27, 2025 / Lexi Velte / Tags: Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.), land development, Internships
When Hannah Mathis first enrolled at FGCU, she couldn’t decide between civil and environmental engineering, so she considered declaring a double major track.
“I loved aspects of both disciplines but was hesitant about adding an extra year to my degree,” she said. “After talking with professors and peers during my freshman and sophomore years, I was encouraged to seek out internships and get involved in organizations that would give me exposure to both fields,” Hannah said.
From Leadership to Land Development
As president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) her junior year, Hannah was able to hear from guest speakers like Atwell's Jackie Larocque who shared their experiences in civil engineering and land development. This helped her realize that she gravitated more toward her physics and mechanics courses, which aligned more closely with civil engineering.
“That inspired me to take FGCU’s first Land Development course, where I learned how creating communities directly impacts people’s lives, how we can design them to be better and more sustainable, and how engineers collaborate with other disciplines to bring projects to life,” Hannah said.
The course solidified her passion for civil engineering and ultimately led her to pursue an internship at Atwell the summer before her senior year.
I learned how creating communities directly impacts people's lives, how we can design them to be better adn more sustainable, and how engineers collaborate with other disciplines to bring projects to life."
An Internship Experience
“Through their Land Development Internship Program, I was able to create and design
my own mock site plan, learning key engineering softwares like AutoCAD, StormCAD,
WaterCAD and ICPR along the way,” Hannah said.
She also attended site visits, watching force main tie-ins and various pressure tests.
Throughout her junior and senior years at FGCU, Hannah worked with the college’s staff to create videos as “Big H” for the WCE Instagram account, highlighting key resources and advertising college events. She was able to use the video editing skills she’d learned in the internship’s company-wide Intern Video Challenge. She collaborated with the other Bonita Springs interns, and their office won the challenge.
"My supervisor Jackie has been a great mentor to me and really exemplified my love for the land development field. I can't thank her enough for helping me get involved with Atwell's Internship program," Hannah said.
Advice for Students
When asked what advice she’d give to other students, Hannah said, “My best advice
to WCE students is to get involved in at least one organization. It doesn’t even have to be engineering related! You
never know what opportunities are out there, and finding a community that supports
you through an on-campus organization can be all the difference. It can find you that
connection that will lead you to your next job, your next leadership position, or
your next skill!”
This rang true for Hannah — SWE’s guest speakers inspired her to take that Land Development course, which led her to Atwell’s Land Development Internship Program. Recently, Hannah received a full-time job offer to return to Atwell after her graduation as an Engineer. Getting connected really can make all the difference.
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