CEE alumnus Jacob Molewyk had ambitions to become a civil engineer since he was a kid. Now, he is making a difference in the Chicago metropolitan area, helping to improve the city’s traffic capacity and implementing impactful infrastructure projects from major highway initiatives to small bike paths and everything in between. “I’ve wanted to be…
CEE alumnus Jacob Molewyk had ambitions to become a civil engineer since he was a kid. Now, he is making a difference in the Chicago metropolitan area, helping to improve the city’s traffic capacity and implementing impactful infrastructure projects from major highway initiatives to small bike paths and everything in between.
“I’ve wanted to be a civil engineer since I was ten because I really wanted to improve traffic on the Chicago-area roads,” said Molewyk. “I used to draw pictures of the roads that I wanted to build and design.”
Now, as a civil engineer with SE3, a professional engineering consulting firm that specializes in transportation and municipal engineering, Molewyk is working on the kinds of projects he aspired to as a kid. As a project engineer with the company, Molewyk works closely with the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and local governments to implement infrastructure projects and improvements.
“As a project engineer, I do a lot of work on designing transportation infrastructure — primarily roadways and highways in the Chicago area. My work has included major highway projects, small bike path projects, ramp and minor roadway projects, and primarily include erosion control, landscaping, and ADA ramp disciplines.”
“Some of the biggest projects that I have worked on included the redesign of Interstate 294 in the Chicago suburbs,” Molewyk explained, speaking of a major interstate highway in the Chicago area. “We’ve widened parts of the highway from four lanes to five, or even six lanes, and added a flex lane for buses to utilize during rush hour that significantly increases the traffic capacity.”
During his time at CEE, Molewyk engaged with a variety of student groups and opportunities, from ASCE trips to study abroad programs. Molewyk even served as a founding member of the Michigan Transportation Student Organization, or MiTSO, a CEE student organization that is still thriving today. For current CEE students hoping to take a similar civil engineering or transportation engineering career path, Molewyk recommends taking extracurricular opportunities for learning, leadership, and networking.
“I would definitely recommend doing internships, research opportunities, studying abroad, going to career fairs, and attending events like the ASCE Chicago trip. Or, if you’re interested in transportation, the Transportation Research Board Research Convention in Washington D.C,” Molewyk said. “Those are some of the things I did as a student at CEE that helped me get where I am today.”
Molewyk says that going out of the way to network with engineering professionals and making sure to make and maintain connections are also integral to post-graduate life.
“Definitely go to the career fairs; go to companies’ technical or informational sessions and listen to them share a bit about what they do. Exchange business cards; keep in touch with people. When you apply for a job, follow up and keep in touch — show that you really care.”
Molewyk acknowledges that these tasks can be daunting for students, and even more difficult to achieve once they graduate.
“At first it can be intimidating to attend a lot of the events, especially when you don’t yet know many people,” said Molewyk. “But the more you attend these events, the more people you’ll meet, and the more it’ll start to feel like family.”
It’s very easy to get involved in the community when you’re on campus,” Molewyk continued. “When you’re in school, all the organizations come to you and bombard you with advertisements and tables in common areas. But in the real world, you need to seek out these same groups and opportunities.”
As an alumnus, Molewyk is motivated to connect with and support fellow CEE alums and young engineers, helping to provide them with the community and resources necessary to succeed in the field. As a board member and co-founder of the Illinois Asian-American Civil Engineers (IAACE) organization, a board member of the University of Michigan Alumni Club of Chicago, as well as the President of the University of Michigan, Asian American and Pacific Islander Alumni Club, Molewyk works to support the next generation of civil engineers and facilitates connections with international CEE students and alumni.
“I helped start the IAACE last year because I want to provide a community for Asian Americans in the civil engineering industry and also help international students be able to navigate the immigration system better,” explained Molewyk. “For me, as a grandson of immigrants, I feel like helping the current generation of immigrants is a way of giving back while also meeting labor needs of the civil and environmental engineering industry.”
For any questions about his career, the IAACE or otherwise, Jacob Molewyk can be reached at molewjac@umich.edu
Marketing Communications Specialist
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering