In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we are featuring McKenzie Winder of Florida Tech women's basketball. This summer, the Glenwood Springs, Colorado, native is gaining meaningful experience at an internship in her desired field. We caught up with Winder to learn more about the incredible opportunity.

What company are you interning for this summer? What is your title and role with the company?
"I am interning for the company Sopris Engineering LLC as a Civil Design Engineer this summer. I am responsible for developing detailed site designs, grading plans, and infrastructure layouts for residential and commercial land development projects, ensuring compliance with local regulations and engineering standards

What drew you to this internship? What steps did you have to take to earn your position within the company?
"I knew that I was going to learn a lot at this internship since this company has a history of being so involved and invested into their interns and helping them to become real world engineers. I was interviewed for the position by the two partners of the company and their four head project engineers after I had sent them my resume beforehand."

What are some exciting skill that you have been able to learn?
"Probably the most important and exciting skill I have developed from this internship is becoming quite proficient in AutoCAD Civil 3D. Learning this software has allowed me to do anything from grading and drainage for houses or apartment complexes, to designing retaining walls or roads for new developments, and even stakeout packages for our survey crews."
 
What is your major at Florida Tech? Why did you choose this direction for your education and is this something you always wanted to pursue?
"I am majoring in Mechanical engineering. Even though my degree is Mechanical, working within a Civil firm has taught me so much about being an engineer and I'm learning that I enjoy the ability to be out in the field every once in a while, and not just at a desk all the time. Designing in civil engineering also allows me to keep that problem solving/ creative aspect to engineering since so projects are the same and there's normally more than one right solution to any project."

How has being a scholar-athlete prepared you for the work you are currently doing in your internship? What skills have you taken from your time as a scholar-athlete that help you in your internship?
"Being a scholar-athlete has prepared me for being timely orientated and communicative with the project team I work with to ensure that everything I am doing is correct and what needs to be done for that particular project."

How is your internship preparing you for a career you would like to do after graduation?
"Having this kind of experience outside of a textbook allows me to understand and see what an engineer is actually going to do for their job and the work that is to be completed. Through this internship, learning to become proficient in Civil 3D just puts me one step ahead of the hiring process after college."

What advice would you give another scholar-athlete/prospective scholar-athlete who is looking to pursue a similar path?
"If I have learned anything from this experience it would be to just put yourself out there and apply and try for anything in your interest, sometimes what you don't yet have in experience is made up for in hard work and a good attitude about learning new things."