Meet Stephanie Bishop – Structural Engineer & Lifelong Learner
What drew you to Hoyle Tanner?
Back in 2017, I was introduced to Hoyle Tanner as a high school intern (you can check out those articles here: Stephanie Bishop: Experiencing Civil Engineering First Hand and Bridging Dreams: How a Chance Engineering Internship Became the Start of My Career to get a closer look at my time as an intern and decision to join Hoyle Tanner full-time). Although my time as an intern was short, I left with a very positive impression. Everyone I’d met had an incredible amount of passion for their work, and it was really inspiring for me. That passion mixed with the strong sense of camaraderie in the bridge group was hard to ignore when I was deciding where to start my career. Ultimately, the people drew me (back) to Hoyle Tanner!
What’s your favorite part of the company culture?
Although I’m a junior engineer, I can still be a part of the big-picture conversations. This doesn’t just apply to projects but also to the company itself. I am able to be a part of committees and working groups that I’m passionate about. Shoutout to Innovations & Operations Committee, RISER, GTD Young Professionals Group, and the AI Task Force! Being a part of those conversations gives me a sense of pride in the work Hoyle Tanner is doing, and it’s cool that I can actually contribute to it!
What’s a lesson you’ve learned from a colleague or what’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?
When approaching anything (tasks, projects, goals, etc.) – begin with the end in mind. Joe Ripley shared this with me one day, and it changed my mindset on the things I do. It’s so simple but so powerful to approach things with purpose. I will eventually read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, it is the next book on the nonfiction to-read list after I finish Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet.
What’s one thing you wish people knew about your job?
The devil is in the details, but you are not facing it alone. In my job, I’m constantly thinking about the details that need to be worked out at both the micro and macro scale. Going through that on your own can be overwhelming, especially in areas where you lack confidence, and that’s what makes working with a team so essential. We all want a project to succeed, and collaboration is an integral part of that success.
What did you want to be when you were growing up / how did you get to be on the path you’re on?
Honestly, I wanted to be a meteorologist. Weather is so cool. That dream started shifting as I traveled more for competitive softball. That’s when skyscrapers, cities, and bridges became wayyy cooler. Bridges ended up winning though, I was always so curious how they worked. The most memorable part of those road trips was driving on the Tappan Zee Bridge and watching the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge activity being built. It was just so cool!
