Employee Spotlight: Anastacia Michigan, EIT, LEED Green Associate

Anastacia Michigan, EIT, LEED Green Associate is a young mechanical designer in our Chadds Ford office. Ana graduated from Grove City College with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and started with Arora quickly after. Ana recently passed her LEED Green Associate exam on her first attempt and was recognized by Arora’s Value Recognition Program for “Excellence.”

How did you come to do what you do? Was this a lifelong goal?

Growing up, my dad was an industrial engineer, which had some influence on my initial interest in the field. However, my decision to pursue a career in engineering was cemented in high school. I took a CAD/Engineering class all four years, which taught us the basics of drafting as well as primary engineering concepts, which I really enjoyed. In college, my Capstone project was designing an HVAC system for a college in Burundi, Africa. I really liked the project and how broad the mechanical discipline was, so I pursued that and looked for jobs where I could do something similar.

What do you enjoy most about your job? What motivates you?

I really enjoy the people I work with at Arora. Everyone has been so accommodating and supportive since I started, including my mentor, David Marsh, PE, LEED AP, and my team. They have been very encouraging, considering this is my first job out of college. Also, there is such a nice variety in our projects and every project we work on has its own unique challenges, so I feel like I am always learning new strategies and new problem-solving techniques.

What makes you unique and different?

I believe I am one of the youngest people working at Arora, and for some this may be considered a disadvantage. However, I have been able to learn quickly and produce positive results for all the projects I have been assigned to in the time I’ve been working here. I worked hard to pass my Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and LEED Green Associate exam, and I was able to pass both on the first try. I think I am a strong communicator, both internally and externally, and I am willing to do the extra work to exceed our clients’ expectations.

What are your favorite types of projects to work on?

I really enjoy working on higher education projects, primarily with Temple University. I have a good relationship with the project managers there and I like that I can oversee the entirety of a project from the beginning of the design through to construction. I generally enjoy smaller scale projects for the same reason.

You recently attained your LEED Green Associate certification – why did you choose to pursue this certification? What certifications would you like to achieve in the future?

One of the first projects I was assigned to when I started working at Arora was Hickory Run State Park, and they were pursuing a LEED Silver certification. Arora was contracted to complete a lot of the documentation for the certification, so I got to become familiar with LEED procedures. I decided I wanted to achieve my LEED Green Associate certification, and I will eventually go on to achieve my LEED AP in Building Design and Construction (BD+C).

What are your future career goals?

Within the next two years I will begin to study for my professional engineer exam (PE), which I hope to pass on my first attempt. I also want to begin a master’s program and obtain my MBA. I think that will allow me to become better acquainted with the business development side of engineering, and that will be very beneficial for me moving forward in my career.