Meet Kelly LaVigne, PE – Senior Structural Engineer & Mediocre Quilter
What drew you to Hoyle Tanner?
I’ve played field hockey with Kirstin DiPietro-Worden for close to 10 years – I think she started trying to recruit me after the first year 😊 When I was looking to make a change, she introduced me to some of the team here in the Burlington office and it was a great group working on interesting projects that I wanted to be a part of.
What’s your favorite time of year to work at Hoyle Tanner & why?
My favorite time of year to do anything is the fall. If I can wear a cozy sweater and drink pumpkin spice lattes, I’m happy.
What’s the coolest thing you are working on & why?
The covered bridge rehab projects here in Vermont! I’ve never worked on a covered bridge before so it’s cool working on something totally different from anything I’ve done before.
How many different states have you lived in?
Three – I’ve been slowly working my way north. I was born in Massachusetts, went to college at UNH, then moved to Vermont.
What kind of pet do you have & how did you choose to name it?
I’ve got a dog named Luke. I could tell he was going to be trouble so I wanted a short name that would be easy to yell, so I searched for one-syllable names. It took me a while to realize I subconsciously named him after one of my favorite characters in my favorite show (Gilmore Girls).
What is a fun or interesting fact about your hometown?
Umm… not much. It’s the MA side of where MA, CT, and RI all meet. Does that count as interesting?
Name three items you’d take with you to a desert island.
Kindle loaded with books, LOTS of sunblock, and my sewing machine.
What characteristic do you admire most in others?
A genuine and wholesome curiosity and interest in others. That person that makes you feel like they are really listening and engaging in conversation.
How old is the oldest item in your closet?
A Christmas sweater with a bear on it from when I was about 5-years-old that my mom swore I was going to grow into. Still waiting for that to happen.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
OK I definitely read this as what do you want to be when you grow up, which is a much more fun question because I still can’t believe I’m a grown up… But growing up I wanted to be a teacher.
What’s one of your most ridiculous/nonsensical fears?
Tsunamis. I have reoccurring nightmares about tsunamis!
What’s your pump-up playlist or song lately?
I recently found a playlist on Spotify called “I Found Your iPod Nano” and it’s complete and total nostalgia. I’m obsessed with it.
Words to live by? Favorite quote? Why?
“Things usually work out in the end.”
“What if they don’t?”
“That just means you haven’t come to the end yet.”
― Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle
I love this quote because it offers great perspective, and I’ve found it to be true. When you’re going through something that feels like this big, insurmountable problem, it will eventually work out. Maybe not the way you expect it or want it to, but it will work out.
(Related is Ted Lasso’s thoughts on Rom-Communism: Gentlemen, believing in rom-communism is all about believing that everything’s gonna work out in the end. Now these next few months might be tricky, but that’s just ’cause we’re going through our dark forest. Fairy tales do not start, nor do they end in the dark forest. That son of a gun always shows up smack-dab in the middle of a story. But it will all work out. Now, it may not work out how you think it will or how you hope it does, but believe me, it will all work out. Exactly as it’s supposed to. Our job is to have zero expectations and just let go.)
