Building the bridge to what’s next

College of Engineering grads are going places, literally — from the Boeing Company to IBM, Norfolk Naval Shipyard to SpaceX. But how do students make the leap from studying for a differential equations exam to thriving in their first job after college?

It could come down to bridge experiences. 

That's a Virginia Tech–coined term for high-impact, hands-on experiential learning opportunities like internships, co-ops, undergrad research, and study abroad — the kind that build not only desirable professional skills but attention-getting resumes. To ensure that all students reap their benefits, every College of Engineering undergraduate will now be required to complete a bridge experience before graduation.

“I like the term bridge experience, because it really represents this idea that these are experiences that will bridge you to your desired career pathway,” said Mark Huerta, an assistant professor of engineering education and coordinator of the College of Engineering Bridge Experience Program.

Preparation starts in first-year engineering courses, where students brainstorm a potential dream job and map how bridge experiences can help get them there. Once students have lined up a bridge experience, they enroll in a zero-credit online course, ENGE 3900, to reflect on what they learned. According to Huerta, communication, teamwork, technical skills, workplace collaboration, and the importance of mentorship all get frequent mentions.

Here, five engineering students share how their bridge experiences are setting them up for success.

Macey Gannaway

Junior, construction engineering and management
Bridge Experience: Internship with Southland Industries

For her 12-week internship on a data center construction project in a booming part of Sterling, Virginia, known as “data center alley,” Macey Gannaway started her day at 6:30 a.m. Then it was site walks with her supervisor and chats with the foremen and safety engineer — projects that felt familiar from growing up around her family’s  residential construction business. 

By the end of her internship in summer 2025, Gannaway was managing her own punch list of unfinished items. “I was making calls to the general contractor or to other foremen from other sites who had fixed a similar problem,” she said. “I'm not going to say every day is perfect, but every day is good. I learn something, and I enjoy it.”

That learning went back with her to the classroom, helping her not only read construction drawings but manage relationships with other students, a skill she developed intervening between two subcontractors who wanted to work in the same area at the same time. “That’s always happening on a smaller scale in the classroom — someone needs their part done before the other ones can get started, or they feel like they did too much work on the group project,” she said. “It's a lot easier to communicate when you realize, ‘I did this on a job that was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I can do this in my class that is three credits.”

In summer 2026, Gannaway returned to intern with Southland. “I'd be honored if they gave me a full-time offer after this summer, because I think I could thrive there,” she said. “As an intern, I've met so many people that I could reach out to in the future if I needed something, and they'd be able to answer my questions, help me out, and support me.”

Career takeaway: Ask questions. “On site, I grew a lot more secure in saying, ‘Could you explain that?’ At Southland, I never felt dumb asking questions, and I have a lot of them as a 20-year-old intern that doesn't know what I'm doing. I feel like there’s always something to learn no matter how old I am, so I've become a lot more confident about that.”

Solomon Afework

Sophomore, chemical engineering
Bridge experience: Co-op at Smurfit Westrock

As a sophomore at the Engineering Expo career fair, Solomon Afework’s resume was practically a blank sheet of paper. “It was just my name and a smiley face,” he joked.

But after hearing representatives of Smurfit Westrock, a global producer of sustainable paper-based packaging, speak at a chemical engineering event, he did some research, asked a lot of questions, and made enough of an impression that he was offered a co-op for spring 2026. He spent the semester working with process engineers in one of Smurfit Westrock’s largest paper mills in West Point, Virginia, surrounded by enormous machines. “From the wood chipper to the bleaching, that is where my department lies,” Afework explained. “I love the factory. I love big machines.”

As a co-op, Afework was given real responsibility, among them conducting a hazard analysis of various jobs at the plant to promote a safer work culture — and he’s already putting his Virginia Tech education to use. “I learned to draw diagrams to show a process in my Mass and Energy Balances class, and that’s basically the same thing that I'm doing now,” he said.

While the co-op meant some occasional FOMO (fear of missing out) while Afework spent a semester away from campus, he expects the investment to pay off. “A co-op is like a long-term interview,” he said. “If everything goes well, you may get a job offer at the end of your co-op. The benefit is astronomical when it comes to going into the workforce.” 

He even connected with a Smurfit Westrock employee who’s a Virginia Tech alum. “One day in February we were talking about how cold it was, and we were like, ‘It can't be as cold as the Drillfield, though!’”

Career takeaway: Take advantage of professional development. “One of the core things at Smurfit Westrock is that if you co-op with them, a requirement is that you get Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified. In the engineering world that’s pivotal because it shows that you've led projects and poured time into the industry. So this certification exponentially boosts my stock when it comes to the workplace.”

Gabi Peta

Senior, civil and environmental engineering
Bridge experience: Leadership in the Corps of Cadets

The Corps of Cadets has a lot of traditions, and one of them is that when civil and environmental engineering senior Gabi Peta graduated from the Corps in May 2026, she got to sign her name to the mortar between the bricks of Lane Hall. It was a testament to all she’s accomplished as a member of the Corps of Cadets. “The Corps of Cadets is all about leadership and personal development,” Peta said. “It’s where I learned that what makes you a great leader is how you look out for your people. How do you take care of them? How do you make sure that they're getting what they need and going where they want to go?”

Leadership lessons were incorporated throughout the curriculum: in a Corps leadership class, in mentoring assignments, and in training by regimental leaders. Peta got to put her learning into action as a junior, when she was made first sergeant of Band Company, home to the Corps of Cadets Regimental Band, better known as the Highty-Tighties. 

Though she’d been playing tenor sax in the Highty-Tighties since her first year, being first sergeant meant taking charge of the training, well-being, and accountability of about 150 company members, including upwards of 40 first-year students. “I had to make sure that everybody was where they were supposed to be and knew what they were doing,” Peta said. “At the end of last spring, after putting in so much work as first sergeant to train and advocate for the freshman class, I remember watching them finish their final event. Getting to see how much they had grown was a really big moment for me.”

When Peta graduates from Virginia Tech in December 2026, she’ll commission as a second lieutenant in the Army; one day she hopes to serve as an engineer officer. Though leadership in the Corps of Cadets hasn’t been easy, it taught her how to work with people, learn from failure, and bounce back with resiliency — skills that helped her to succeed in her toughest engineering courses. 

“One of the things I’ve heard a lot in the Corps is that you can define success as a leader by asking, Did you prepare the people below you to take your job one day?” Peta said. She’s sure that the cadets in Band Company are ready to take hers.

Career takeaway: Navigating conflict. “When I have problems in a group, inside and outside the classroom, I’ve learned from the Corps how to speak up for myself and articulate my thoughts and opinions assertively.” 

Reece Bisschop

Senior, industrial and systems engineering
Bridge experience: Internship at Disney

Industrial and systems engineering junior Reece Bisschop might not describe himself as a full-blown Disney Adult, but that didn’t stop him from applying for close to 20 internships at the happiest place on earth. He finally hit the jackpot with a co-op in strategic sourcing supporting Design and Construction for Walt Disney Imagineering, an adventure that took him to Anaheim, California, for the spring 2026 semester. “Disney's just not like any other company,” he said. “I don't know how to describe it, but it's amazing here.”

Part of a small team inside the Worldwide Safety, Health, Engineering, and Sourcing group, Bisschop supported contracting with vendors on new construction and design projects for Disneyland expansions, like the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure (he got to sign the final structural beam for the new ride building) or the upcoming Avatar-themed land. His work included sending out requests for proposals, updating vendor information, and completing change orders for everything from attractions to themed finishes. “They're essentially building the next generation of the park, and it’s great to be part of that,” he said.

His background in engineering helped him read proposals from vendors and opened his eyes to all the career options available to industrial and systems engineers. “Employers value that degree,” he said, “because it touches a lot of areas and it's very broad.”

Plus, the professional development perks were what you’d expect from Disney, including behind-the-scenes access to the theme parks like attraction walkthroughs and tours. “It’s been great to see what really goes into it,” Bisschop said.

No wonder Bisschop has his heart set on returning after he graduates. “I’d love to work for Disney,” he said. 

Career takeaway: Communicating succinctly. “It’s not like school, where you write extensive reports. In such a big company, where people’s time is so valuable, I’ve had to learn to be concise and get my point across quickly.” 

Prehaan Parikh

Freshman, general engineering

Bridge experience: Undergraduate research in Michael Madigan’s Biomechanics Lab

Going to a professor’s office hours paid off in a bridge experience for first-year student Prehaan Parikh. Last semester, he was visiting with Assistant Professor of Practice Kelsey Coleman to ask about research opportunities when Michael L. Madigan, professor in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, poked his head in. “She asked him if he hires any undergraduate researchers, and he's like, ‘Yeah, I have something lined up for next semester. Just send me a resume and I'll look at it.’” 

Parikh got the job. 

During spring semester, he worked as a research assistant in Madigan’s lab in Whittemore Hall, scheduling and screening participants and collecting data using MATLAB for a study designed to prevent risks in the construction industry. To mimic the balance required in construction tasks, participants climbed on a ladder, donned a Microsoft HoloLens, and completed six tasks on a screen.

So far, Parikh has loved turning theory into practice: “You get to do the things that you’ve been reading about,” he said, all while beefing up MATLAB skills and strengthening an array of soft skills, like teamwork and communication. He’s also learned how to send a mean professional email.

After spending the summer with his family in Mumbai, India, he hopes to return to Madigan’s lab in the fall. But he also wants to do a range of bridge experiences before he graduates: “I want to try out an internship, a co-op, undergraduate research, working as a TA — basically all the experiences — to see what I like to do,” Parikh said. “That will help me choose a career path or if I want to do a master's program.”

Next on his list: Doing a manufacturing internship in a factory so he can see how the whole supply chain works. “If I can land an internship, that would be great,” he said.

Career takeaway: Apply before you’re ready. “Just going to office hours, I landed an opportunity that I was not expecting to get in my freshman year. A lot of people don't apply until they’re juniors; they think they won't actually get an opportunity, so they don't even try. I’m the youngest student in the lab by far, but no one treats me differently based on my age. In fact, they actually help me out because they're more experienced. It’s definitely been a confidence booster for me.”