Water Resources Engineer, Jacobs
Monica Morales describes herself as a “determined and starry-eyed” first-generation college student from Reno, Nevada. Upon her arrival in Oregon, she sought out ways to invest in herself and her education through the resources and great minds she was surrounded by. She says that Oregon State not only fed her newfound passion for civil engineering, but also for the outdoors and water resources in general.
She adds that the College of Engineering is one that will prepare students to work straight out of school. She finds that it is a well-respected program, and engineers in the profession understand that Oregon State students have been prepared to implement what they have learned and will continue learning on the job.
After graduating, Morales worked at Hazen and Sawyer as an assistant engineer, first in Ohio, then in Los Angeles. She worked on several projects related to water and wastewater, groundwater treatment, pump systems, and analysis and design of borehole horizontal direction drilling. She then worked for over five years at CH2M on an engineering team to help solve future drought concerns in San Diego.
She currently works at Jacobs as a water resources engineer, working on many challenging water resources projects and helping fight future droughts in Southern California. She’s been able to grow within a 55,000-plus-person global engineering consulting company and help lead multimillion-dollar projects for multibillion-dollar programs. Morales volunteers for several nonprofit organizations, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Nevada Water Environment Association.
Morales is a passionate professional engineer, who strives to incorporate sustainable solutions and treatment designs while prioritizing the safety, needs, and concerns of the public. She feels that all of her experiences have helped her develop organizational and leadership skills, and she is excited to continue applying what she has learned in the Pacific Northwest and to be part of growth in sustainable infrastructure.
“The College of Engineering’s professors and the mentors I made through the Civil Engineering Cooperative Program were sincerely life-changing. They provided me a window into a professional world I never had a peek into before, in that I came from a low-income family. I am so thankful for the memories and foundation built at Oregon State.”
Degrees
- B.S. Civil Engineering, 2012
- M.S. Civil Engineering, 2015