Alumni Spotlight: Evan Bollinger, '14

Catch up with YSU alumni, Evan Bollinger. Evan attended YSU from 2010-2014 and received a B.E. in Civil Engineering in May 2014.

Evan has been at ms consultants for almost 8-years full-time and interned with the company for 2 years while pursuing his undergraduate degree. ms consultants, inc. was founded in Youngstown in 1963. The headquarters are now located in Columbus, OH, but the company still has an office in downtown Youngstown. Originally, ms opened up specializing as a transportation engineering services provider. Since then, the company has expanded as a comprehensive engineering, architecture, and planning firm with focuses in transportation, water, structural, architecture, construction services, and planning.

Evan works as a Project Engineer at the Youngstown - Water Division. He works on a wide range of projects such as sanitary/stormwater sewer collection systems, pump stations, water/wastewater treatment plant process and water resources. When asked to share a part of the job that was unexpected, Evan shared that he did not expect communication to be so important. “Whether it’s communicating verbally or through writing, this skill is definitely an important aspect to being an engineer. Being able to communicate projects properly to clients or even with colleagues while discussing design, allows projects to run smoothly and successfully,” Evan stated.

On a personal level, Evan’s biggest accomplishment in his career was passing the Professional Engineers (PE) exam and becoming a licensed engineer in the State of Ohio. A lot of preparation leads up to the exam, so being able to pass and officially become a licensed engineer is something he will always cherish. On a project level, his biggest accomplishment would be the appreciation that is shown from clients. Knowing he was able to assist with fixing or improving someone’s problem is rewarding as an engineer.

During his time at YSU, the courses prepared him well for his current role, but STEM Careers, Internships & Co-ops had a big part as well. He urges anyone pursuing engineering to get in contact with STEM Careers to utilize all of their resources. He discusses that getting yourself out there on paper, virtually or in person will help gain exposure to individuals and companies within the field.

His advice to any undergraduate student is utilize all the resources that are offered at the University. From your classes, professors and programs like STEM Careers, to your classmates you see every day. Each and every one of these will benefit you as you move forward as a student and in your professional careers. Also, he recommends pursuing either an internship or co-op opportunity prior to graduation, if possible. This was one aspect that he felt helped him gain early knowledge in the field and expanded the amount of opportunities available after graduation.