Caroline Corwin – Transportation Engineer & Cooking Enthusiast
1. What drew you to Hoyle Tanner?
I was looking for a company with a transportation group and saw the posting for an entry-level transportation engineer. I also wanted to work somewhere relatively close to where I grew up, so the Massachusetts office specifically caught my eye. Once I read some of the blog posts and got to interview, I discovered how much I liked the people and atmosphere of the company as well. Eight months in, I can say the people and culture have exceeded the first impression that drew me in.
2. What’s something invaluable you’ve learned here?
Asking questions and taking the time to understand something more entirely before fully diving into it is okay, even if it feels like it slows you down initially from making progress. It is better to spend a little extra time up front to get clarification on aspects you are unsure of or anticipate could cause issues, than to get three-quarters of the way through something and end up redoing significant portions of it because of some misunderstanding.
3. What’s your favorite time of year to work at Hoyle Tanner & why?
So far, I have really enjoyed working in the summer and taking advantage of the nice weather during site visits. I got to eat lunch on the banks of a river in northern New Hampshire a few months ago while doing some field work and it was absolutely beautiful.
4. What’s the coolest thing you are working on & why?
I have been working on preliminary plans for a new waterline in Massachusetts and have been learning a lot of new skills. The most exciting part has been figuring out how to model the existing and proposed pipes in 3D. It is the first time I have used some of the modeling tools, so I have learned a lot that I will be able to transfer to future projects.
5. What’s the best thing that’s happened to you so far this week?
I got to spend time with my cousin who is visiting from Alaska, and I met her for the first time at the beginning of this visit.
6. How many different states have you lived in?
Two, Massachusetts growing up and now, and upstate New York for college.
7. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Chicken street tacos with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.
8. What kind of pet do you have & how did you choose to name it?
I don’t have any pets, but I really want to get a miniature schnauzer at some point.
9. What is a fun or interesting fact about your hometown?
One of our middle schools has a courtyard in the middle of it where a mother duck has made her nesting site. Each year once the ducklings hatch, they are walked through the school and out the front door to gain access to the food and water they need. (There was a jeopardy question referencing this tradition a few weeks ago, too.)
10. What are three things still left on your bucket list.
Go to as many national parks as I can, see a moose in person, and learn how to drive a boat.
11. Name three items you’d take with you to a desert island:
A huge tank of water, a big knife, and a satellite phone.
12. What characteristic do you admire most in others?
Kindness. It does not take a lot of effort to be kind, but it makes a significant and positive impact on the people around you and how they feel in your presence.
13. How old is the oldest item in your closet?
I am not sure how old they are, but I have a collection of months of the year sweaters for a teddy bear that are from my great-grandmother.
14. Words to live by? Favorite quote?
“Do what you like. Like what you do. Be patient. Change the world.” I heard this phrase in a speech by one of the founders of Life is Good at a youth leadership conference when I was 13, and it has stuck with me ever since. To me, it means to do something (or many things) in your life that you genuinely enjoy and feel inspired by, and with time the passion you put in will create even more good in the world around you. This is not only a guiding concept in my life, but also one of the reasons I decided to become a civil engineer.
15. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be a hairdresser or one of the people that works in the penguin exhibit at the New England Aquarium.
16. If you were to skydive from an airplane what would you think about on the way down?
How surprised I am that I actually jumped out, and then probably that it feels like I’m zooming in on Google Earth but in real life.
