In December 2022, U.S. Engineering team members volunteered with Junior Achievement to help motivate students for future career success. Junior Achievement strives to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy through career readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

U.S. Engineering Construction Preconstruction Manager Sarabeth Gandara shared her experience volunteering with the Junior Achievement on the RMMCA podcast, Tradeswork. The December podcast also explored Gandara’s background with student competitions and other programs at the MCA, her role as a preconstruction manager and advice she has for young people considering their careers.

Listen to the podcast, and read more about the Junior Achievement event and other U.S. Engineering volunteers, below.

Our team members worked with 56 seventh graders from Milliken Middle School in a simulated life scenario, which included a career, net monthly income, net gross income and family status. The students rotated among our volunteers to talk about budgeting for savings, debt, childcare, health insurance, auto loans, mortgages, life insurance, groceries, clothing and more. Each volunteer owned a business in the simulation and explained their profession to the students.

Other U.S. Engineering team members orchestrated a construction activity for Rock Canyon High School students in pre-engineering classes. The activity showcased what a day working in construction might look like and encouraged students to consider a career in the trades.

Volunteers included Aaron Denning, Victoria Palmer, Taylor Heideman, Kristin Blundell, Fred Hansen, Trish Bollinger, Kevin Stoddard, Sarabeth Gandara, Todd VonLintel, Jason Schneider and Lauren Wilson from U.S. Engineering and Monica Burton from Rocky Mountain MCA.

Events like these strengthen our commitment to our communities, and we view this type of giving back as our organizational responsibility. As Sarabeth says in her episode of Tradeswork, volunteering is one way we can act as a resource: “Without asking questions you are really never going to learn. The people that work around me within the company that I’m in and within the industry that we’re in, they are so knowledgeable and so experienced in what they do that they are a complete resource and an eventual friend, too.”

Safety Hank

(left to right) Taylor Heideman, Sarabeth Gandara, Victoria Palmer, Kevin Stoddard, Kristin Blundell, Trish Bollinger, Aaron Denning and Monica Burton