Congrats, Class of 2023!

Everyone’s college journey is full of challenges, but the biggest challenge faced by the Class of 2023 happened outside the classroom: halfway through their first year, the Covid-19 pandemic forced these students into near isolation. Campus was shuttered, and their professors, newly made friends, and plans seemed a lifetime away.  

But the Northwestern community persevered and now at the end of their four years, these graduates are ready to celebrate.  

Many Civil & Environmental Engineering graduates look back on their time fondly and feel that the classes they took will prepare them for life outside of college.  

“I am extremely eager to bring many of the skills that I've gained and the values that I have developed as an environmental engineering student into that work,” said MaryKate Anderson. 

Anderson majored in both environmental engineering and economics. After graduation, she will move to Chicago to work as an analyst for a management consulting firm.  

Grace Hochberg, who majored in civil engineering and global health, will work as Designer 1 at Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects in Chicago.  

“The architecture and design sequence and other sustainability and energy-focused classes at Northwestern have definitely sparked my interest in architecture and enabled me to work at a firm that does specific work at the intersection of design, energy, and technology,” she said. “My long-term goals are to work in holistic community development through equitable and sustainable design.” 

At graduation, Hochberg received the McCormick Alumni Award which is presented to a graduating senior who has demonstrated outstanding service to the McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, and to the community, and who also has worthy scholastic achievement. 

Christian Johnston will also start a full-time job after graduation, as an associate project manager for JLL – a commercial real estate firm in Chicago. 

Many Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates will go on to further their education in engineering.  

Jose Marquez, a graduating senior who majored in civil engineering and economics, will intern at DeSimone Consulting Engineers this summer. Afterward, he will pursue a master's in engineering at the University of Michigan. 

Finally, free from the confines of global quarantine, many students will travel to seek new opportunities.  

After graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering with the Segal Design Certificate, Evains Francois will focus on traveling and learning more about the world around him.  

“After graduation, I will be starting a phase of exploration,” he said. “For the next year, I plan to take internships abroad to widen my global horizons, learn more about diverse cultures, and, hopefully, determine how I want to kickstart my engineering career. I aim to get real-world experience to flush out what I enjoy and determine my professional interests. My first stop will be Ecuador where I will spend the summer as a research intern studying water quality in a rural region outside the capital city, Quito.”