” Almost by accident, I landed in the Surveying Engineering department in 2006. At the time, I just thought to myself what an amazing fit for my lifestyle and career goals. Little did I know, it would be the best decision I would ever make during my many years of schooling. ”
How did NMSU prepare you: NMSU’s Surveying Engineering Program (now Geomatics) is no doubt one of the very best in the United States and during my tenure had amazing professors that, for me, remain life coaches. Prior to graduation, I was recruited by Leica Geo-systems to help build western market share. Then, working as a Senior Land Surveyor for Xcel Energy, I supported electric infrastructure expansion in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. My start to professional licencor in numerous states was completing my NMSU degree. I’ve had many successes in my life and currently am pretty happy with where my career has taken me. It is so difficult to explain how much this degree, program, professors and profession as a whole has positively impacted my life. I have a very fruitful life and everything in my life is enriched because of this decision I made several years ago at a critical time in my life.
Advice: As future/current Engineering Technology students I would recommend pursuing career options that you find the most intriguing. Always say yes to any opportunities that come your way.
Responsibilites and Success: Currently, as Director, Power Delivery at Westwood Professional Services, we create solutions for companies expanding our nation’s power grid, all over the nation. These opportunities have come my way because of a rare specialty in today’s world called the Professional Land Surveyor, notably being the true land professional.
” Even if it takes numerous attempts or changes in your major….either at NMSU or elsewhere (vocational schools included) seek at least one level higher in education than High School. Accomplishing this advanced educational step will offer the most life enhancing opportunity for you and your family
How did NMSU prepare you: Education and problem solving skills: A degree from the program resulted in 6 job offers upon graduation and continuous full time employment since then, a testament to the program.
Networking and character: Transitioning with a few Carlsbad High School peers helped the college transition process and making new friends with students/staff from other regions expanded my network; I remain in contact with many friendships grown while at NMSU. The dorm, class, and lab environment developed a better sense on team building and how to work with others.
Internships: Many employers hire NMSU engineering students midway through the program; My 7 month paid internship at Cummins Diesel offered insight into industry’s evolution from 2D to 3D design and the industry experience gained undoubtedly increase jobs offered at graduation.
Time Management & Responsibility: Coming from a low-income household, working while attending NMSU was necessary to minimize student loan debt. The reasonable tuition at NMSU ensured I didn’t have to work a 40 hour work week while being a full time student. Managing classes, study, work, & budget required many adjustments. Having Access to inexpensive dorm and meal plan options early on, along with on campus student services, greatly helped the transition… essentially into adulthood.
Advice: Your career and life outside your career are largely influenced by relationships which is influenced by your communication skills with others. It may be outside of your comfort zone, but find opportunities to improve communication skills… network, and build comradery with others.
Minimize student debt and pay off debt acquired early after graduation, it will be more challenging to do so once mortgages and family enters the picture
Give back something to society… Think of the difference of those who have helped you along the way. This doesn’t need to be financial…a little of your time goes along way and is most rewarding!
Responsibilites and Success: Responsibilities include leading multidiscipline design and development efforts throughout my career at Raytheon and LANL, lately in the area of systems engineering. Have been fortunate to work with subject matter experts in many areas including mechanical/electrical/software/optics engineering, material scientists, physicists, and production agencies. A broad systems understanding and policy awareness has led to increased interactions with senior management within and external to LANL, to include Washington DC policy makers at the national level. Have been fortunate to receive 25 honors and awards, including:
Five National Nuclear Security Administration Defense Programs Excellence Awards from NNSA Deputy Administrator(s)…One of NNSA’s most prestigious award
“Oscar of Invention” R&D 100 Award by the nationally prominent R&D 100 awards committee for valveless laser processing technology
A United States Patent, # 7,047,801 for the design of a Guidance Assembly Test Station
Raytheon Excellence Award from the president of Raytheon, the most prestigious award offered by the company
Clubs, Competitions, and Extracurriculars: Employed as an Engineering Assistant at (then) NMSU’s Advanced Manufacturing Center
” As future/current Engineering Technology students I would recommend pursuing career options that you find the most intriguing. Always say yes to any opportunities that come your way.
How did NMSU prepare you: The MET program gave me a great head start in life. I am forever grateful for the professors and their willingness to help me understand engineering theory as well as guide me through internships and career decisions.
Advice: As future/current Engineering Technology students I would recommend pursuing career options that you find the most intriguing. Always say yes to any opportunities that come your way.
Responsibilites and Success: Currently supervising a rig reactivation campaign, constructing a drilling rig package on a production platform to perform a plug and abandonment project of 30 wells offshore in California. I currently serve as the interface between engineering and field team to ensure project is completed within tolerance.
How did NMSU prepare you: NMSU and especially the ET Department was pivotal in my success as a professional. Many of the things that the ET Department taught me that has helped me are as follows: i. Textbook Knowledge through lectures and exams. ii. Ethics iii. Honesty iv. Hard work v. Integrity vi. Practical application of what was being taught through labs and hands on learning. vii. Interviewing skills and how to speak to your strengths. viii. How to develop an amazing resume and several other things.
Advice: Advice I would give to the prospective and current students is that: You get out of your education what you put into it. Find smarter people than you, to study with. Go to the professors when you don’t understand something, ask them many questions. We truly have the best professors who are willing to help and who want to see you succeed.
Responsibilites and Success: As a Tooling Engineer, I work with customers to design and develop tools that help build missiles. I am currently in the process of getting a patent for one of the tools I created.
Clubs, Competitions, and Extracurriculars: I was the Elders Quorum President in my local church where I did about 10-15hrs of service every week helping needy families move, clean, get them meals etc. I also have 6 children that my wife and I home schooled and helped teach.
Advice: From the moment you step on the University, start building up your resume. Join clubs that are related to your career path and most of all, spend every summer working on an internship.
Responsibilites and Success: I have worked on installation of over 1,500 MW of wind energy generation. I am responsible for developing, executing and managing the Quality Plans as well as facilitating continuous improvement.
Clubs, Competitions, and Extracurriculars: NMSU Concrete Canoe, NMSU American Society of Civil Engineers, NMSU Engineers without Borders (now Aggies without Limits), NMSU Association of General Contractors, Society if Women Engineers, and NMSU College Assistance Migrant Program.
Name:Matti Sokoll
Job Title:Project Engineer
Company:Bradbury Stamm Construction
Degree:B.S. Civil Engineering Technology (2015)
” Use your time in school to make mistakes, ask questions, learn as much as possible, and don’t forget to enjoy life!”
How did NMSU prepare you: NMSU taught me how to think outside of the box, ask the rights questions, solve technically challenging problems, when to step back and assess my solution, and lastly, how to be a proud Aggie! Advice: Use your time in school to make mistakes, ask questions, learn as much as possible, and don’t forget to enjoy life!
Responsibilites and Success: My main responsibilities include interpreting construction drawings, completing submittal document assessments, creating/reviewing RFIs, reviewing ASIs, scheduling subcontractors, sequencing work, and BIM coordination. I also use critical thinking skills to provide unique solutions to deal with and potentially mitigate change order issues as they arise. In addition, I am responsible for detailed cost estimates/quantity take-offs. As well, I implement on-site quality control checks, perform surveying tasks to ensure elevation requirements are met, aide in construction layout and control, ensure on-site safety, and perform engineering calculations when required for problem solving. I continually monitor and maintain the project budget, I am the primary point of contact and problem solver for all issues that arise on-site, and I perform activity identification/sequencing to ensure efficiency of the project and critical paths. My career accomplishments include taking on multiple professional internships during my undergraduate degree, earning my Masters through the Civil Engineering department at UNM, obtaining a sought-after position as a Project Engineer with Bradbury Stamm Construction who is the largest general contractor in the state of New Mexico, passing the FE, and applying for and being accepted into the Engineer in Training by the State of New Mexico which is the first step to achieving my goal to become a Licensed Professional Engineer.
Clubs, Competitions, and Extracurriculars: Steel Bridge & ASCE Competition Team, AGC Competition Team
Name:Leandro Montoya III, PE
Job Title:Engineering Manager III
Company:NMDOT
Degree:B.S. Civil Engineering Technology (2005)
Contact Info:(575) 640-6806
” Use your time in school to make mistakes, ask questions, learn as much as possible, and don’t forget to enjoy life!”
How did NMSU prepare you: It gave me a leg up on the competition because I came a recognize engineering program. The biggest tool CET gave me was the ability to make informed decisions by identify problems/challenges, evaluate solutions/cost/benefit, and implementing a chosen option.
Advice: Pass the FE!
Responsibilites and Success: Manage the contract maintenance program for District 1 to ensure prudent use and expenditure of state resources. This includes short and long term planning based on current state funding levels.
Responsible for planning and project development of contract maintenance projects within program budgets. This includes utilizing MMS and PMS data to determine the correct scope of work and treatment type. Developing cost estimates based off unit costs for each item determined for each scope of work. Obtain project and control numbers for scope of work and funding accordingly. Obtaining the correct clearances for each scope of work to be performed. Obtaining correct wage rates for each scope of work to be performed. Develop requisitions for each project and ensure funding is encumbered.
Responsible for coordination of project contracts. Making sure each project has sufficient staffing, facilities, and equipment needed for successful completion. For each project, ensure compliance with NMDOT construction guidelines, office procedures, contract specification, and procurement rules.
Responsible for approval of payment based on percentage of work performed. This requires inspection and acceptance of work performed in compliance with each contract specification. This requires a review of each invoice submitted and verified against accepted work for approval.
Development of Statewide NMDOT and District 1 price agreement contracts. This requires development of contract language, specifications, and bid items for each price agreement being developed. Ensuring coordination is being done between the District, State Maintenance Bureau, Procurement Services Bureau, and General Service Division for successful completion of developed price agreement contracts.
Accomplishments: Construction Project Manager for System to System Interchange (I10/I25 Interchange), Helped develop NMDOT Asset Management Plan and Pavement Management System.
Clubs, Competitions, and Extracurriculars: AGC, bidding competition, e week, and intramural basketball
Name:Landon Balok
Job Title:Engineering Manger – Boeing Global Services
How did NMSU prepare you: The Mechanical Engineering Technology program at NMSU provided me the foundation needed in engineering principles in order to perform detailed design and analysis work in the field of electrical avionics equipment cooling, manufacturing engineering production layout, design, and integration, and lastly served as a base of study in order to further my education in Systems Engineering. In short, my education at NMSU prepared me for the practical application of engineering in the workforce, specifically for the Aerospace industry.
Advice: Learn to recognize that the engineers if the past are why you are here today. With the right attitude and will, you will re-write your engineering career every day. Learn to give any assignment your best, accept and leverage constructive feedback, and improve your best my making it better. The hardest part of a problem is not knowing what the variables are and what their associated values are. Asking what you don’t know will help you solve almost any problem. The best recognition you will ever have is a good night’s sleep on the last day you leave your old job behind you. If you weren’t exhausted by your previous assignment, you didn’t try hard enough. Operating in a competitive manner with little to no regard to the collateral damage you create leaves you with enemies, not friends. Focus on doing things as a team. Don’t give up on your passion for the perfect engineering job, however be honest with yourself on where you want to live and raise a family, these two things will help you truly decide where to start your career.
Responsibilites and Success: Currently, Landon is the Boeing Global Services (BGS) Engineering Skill Leader for Boeing’s Engineering and Technical workforce in Washington State, and the Systems Engineering Skill leader for all Boeing Global Service locations within the United States. Landon also oversees the Engineering Management responsibilities for a team of Customer Engineers supporting Fleet and Airline Modifications for all in service Boeing aircraft. In addition to the above roles, Landon is the BGS Business Unit Focal for Boeing’s engineering hiring initiatives through External Technical Affiliations including but not limited to, the Society of Women Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers, American Society of Engineers and Scientists, and the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, and other Boeing led Engineering hiring initiatives through University campus recruitment.
Landon supported the Electrical Systems Responsibility Center as the Manufacturing Engineering Manager for current production and post-production statement of work for wire bundle manufacturing and assembly between 2017 – 2018.
Between 2015 – 2017, Landon was the Engineering Multi- Skill and Systems Engineering Skill Team Manager for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA). In this role, Landon learned the fundamental principles of Skill Team Management, and was part of an improvement team that focused on establishing common best practices across BCA Engineering.
Starting in 2011, Landon was the Engineering Manager for the 777 Future Production Systems Team in Everett, Washington. Landon’s team defined the future state Production System layout for Mid-Bodies, Wing Body Join, and Final Assembly which provided a dual Build solution for the current 777 and the 777-9x. Landon is a 2010 Associate in the BCA Leadership Development Excellence Program where he was the Professional Development Team Lead. During his time in LDE, Landon led a team of Systems Engineers that supported multiple BCA organizations on Program Management Best Practices. <brIn 2007 Landon was recognized by The Director of Airplane Performance regarding his application of Systems Engineering Principles to Lean Manufacturing, specifically the 777 Airplane Moving Line.
In 2004 – 2005 Landon worked as a Process Engineer on the 747 Production line supporting a design change to the 747. The fuel inerting system that Landon helped integrate onto 747 line number 1372, which was the first production aircraft certified meeting compliance to SFAR 88.
Landon’s first assignment at Boeing was with BCAs Environmental Control Systems Division where he was a Mechanical Systems Engineer responsible for the Electrical and Electronic Cooling System on the 767 and 747 Airplane Models. Landon received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from NMSU in 2001 and his Master of Science from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 2009. Landon was born and raised in Gallup, New Mexico.
Clubs, Competitions, and Extracurriculars:
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers
Department of Engineering Technology & Surveying Engineering
