Name?
Gregory Jones

Major?
Civil Engineering

Hometown?
Baltimore, Maryland

Next Stop?
Hensel Phelps; Orlando, Florida

How did Temple prepare you for your next stop?
One of my favorite memories as a student at Temple University is being able to see the impact that I’ve made as a student organization leader. I am the president of Temple University’s National Society of Black Engineers chapter and through that experience I’ve developed better soft skills, learned how to manage and lead a team, applied the fundamentals of engineering to real-life applications and given back to the community while building my resume.

Additionally, I’ve taken the issue of the steady decline of minority student recruitment, retention and career transition practices in STEM fields into my own hands. I’ve developed a research paper with Jamie Bracey, EDU ’07, ’11, director, College of Engineering, that uses psychological theories to examine what motivates minority engineering students to persist for the American Society for Engineering Education.

I also had the opportunity to spend spring break in Haiti helping to fight some of the biggest challenges that Haitians face, which include a lack of sanitation and hygiene facilities. I was able to help build a latrine that will improve hygiene conditions significantly and teach 20 children from St. Francis Xavier Orphanage the fundamental skills of engineering through a bridge building project.

After graduation, I plan on moving to Florida to work with Hensel Phelps and continuing to show others that Temple University engineering students are world-class engineers.