Civil Engineering: Building a Strong Foundation for an Excellent Career

Maryland native Sydney Makarovich (’23) grew up wanting to become an architect. As the time for college grew near, she became unsure of where her future would take her and decided to pivot to Aerospace Engineering.

When she selected her school, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was an obvious choice.

“I had a family member that went here and had a great experience. So I kind of already knew about it and I loved how updated the campus was,” Makarovich said. “It’s a very unique school so that’s what really drew me. There weren’t any other schools quite like it.”

After a short stint in Aerospace Engineering, Makarovich switched to Civil Engineering with a focus on structures, a degree not dissimilar to that of an architect, bringing her full circle to the idea of a future career in the design and construction of various buildings and infrastructure projects.

American Society of Civil Engineers and Institute of Transportation Engineers

Makarovich was elected president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and also vice president of the Institution of Transportation Engineers (ITE) at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus. (Photo: Embry-Riddle / Bill Fredette-Huffman)

The same semester she switched to Civil Engineering, Makarovich joined the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Embry-Riddle chapter due to her peers encouraging her to get involved.

“My first meeting, I was actually an executive board member, which was crazy. They voted for me before I was even in the club... And from there, I just started getting heavily involved [by] going to conferences and my interest just kept getting more and more in-depth,” she shared.

As a senior, Makarovich was elected president of the on-campus organization, taking on the role of chapter leader and functioning as a liaison between the ASCE at Embry-Riddle and ASCE chapters in other locations. She also became vice president of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), another on-campus organization that has overlap among membership and events with the ASCE.

In her involvement with the ASCE and ITE, Makarovich had unique opportunities to attend and make connections at engineering-focused conferences and events. For example, she and the ITE chapter from Embry-Riddle recently journeyed to Hawaii for a conference dedicated to equity and resilience in a changing world, where she spoke about climate change and its engineering impacts.

Her favorite conference is the annual ASCE Southeast Student Symposium in Florida, where teams have an opportunity to participate in a variety of competitions.

“It's a student conference, where all the schools get together from Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico,” she said. “We do different engineering-based competitions; our biggest event is the concrete canoe competition. All the schools get to build and race a concrete canoe.”

Leading the Way at Embry-Riddle

Makarovich cites the best part of being president as the guidance she’s able to offer others.

“I really enjoy giving back to the younger group because I've been in their shoes where... I had no idea what I was doing,” she recalled. “From the few years that I've been a part of it, I've been able to connect and network with people in Florida... getting our younger members internship opportunities, scholarship opportunities. From my experience, being able to give back to them has been extremely rewarding as president.”

When asked who inspires her, Makarovich talked about those at Embry-Riddle who helped her find her own way and no doubt further instilled the spirit of giving into her own leadership style.

“Honestly, I'll have to say my professors. They've just done a great job of getting me involved and showing me what engineering has to offer to me,” she shared. “I see how much work they’ve put in and I just really appreciate how much they've given back to us.”

Post-Graduation Plans

In her years at Embry-Riddle, Makarovich was heavily involved on-campus in addition to leading the ASCE and ITE chapters. She worked on a Florida Department of Transportation-funded research project led by Dr. Jeff Brown, was a tour guide for campus visitors, graded for two different engineering courses, is a member of Mentor Foundation USA (a foundation promoting drug-free lifestyles, sponsored by Queen Sylvie of Sweden) and is a member of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society.

Since early 2022, Makarovich has been an intern at FINFROCK, an Orlando-based design and build construction company. Post-graduation, she is working there as a full-time employee in their professional development program, where she will have the opportunity to explore career options in different departments until she finds the best fit.

“I'm going to stay in Florida indefinitely. I love it down here,” she said.

With an enthusiastic and generous mindset, plentiful technical skills and excellent networking experience, Makarovich has a bright future ahead in her field and beyond.