This year, Civiltech has celebrated our continuing commitment to Inspiring Future Engineers. We are dedicated to encouraging the next generation of engineers whether as a company or through individual volunteer efforts. Through our efforts, we work to mentor college students, encourage high school students, and excite little ones about STEAM-related possibilities. As 2025 comes to a close, we are excited to share a full year of Inspiring Future Engineers.
February
Jen Hyman took part in a presentation inspiring sixth grade math students at St. Raphael School in Naperville to explore the field of engineering as part of Engineers Week. Jen introduced the students to the field of Civil Engineering and shared her path to becoming an engineer, what her career entails, and examples of her projects.
March
Edith Portales, attended the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Urban Planning and Public Affair (CUPPA) Career Day. The event included several panel discussions and a resume review session for CUPPA students. Edith participated in a panel discussion on careers in the private sector and worked with students to polish their resumes.
April
Kristin Kalitowski participated as a panelist in a Women in STEM panel for the STEM Club at McHenry County College. The panelists spoke about their careers and career growth and shared anecdotes of situations they have dealt with.
Civiltech hosted a student outreach event with a group of students from Sarah E. Goode Academy, a CPS STEM high school. This event was part of our ongoing partnership with Embarc, an organization that provides Chicago high school students with experiences that spread awareness for various careers. The team led the students on a journey around the Chicago Loop with existing plans for LaSalle Street in hand. The students then had the opportunity to redesign LaSalle Street. Each group shared their designs and answered questions about their decisions.
Marcelino Cruz participated in a panel discussion at Purdue University with an audience of primarily sophomores. The event was part of a class called Contemporary Issues in Civil Engineering. The panel presented information on the Transportation Engineering industry, and Marcelino shared his day-to-day activities and project work.
The WTS of Greater Chicago Student Chapter at UIC hosted a Coffee Talk, where Lissa Sweeney sat down with planning and engineering students to chat about her role at Civiltech Engineering, her career path since her time as a planning student at UIC, and the transportation planning and engineering industries.
Civiltech opened its doors for Take Your Child to Work Day. Our pint-sized guests enjoyed an action-packed day with a bike-safety theme, including making bike T-shirts and a presentation on bike safety. They built a marshmallow toothpick building, heard a story about trees, competed in an egg drop, learned about floods, and made slime.
Q1 and Q2 2025
Territory NFP students continued participation with Civiltech’s Chicago Avenue Corridor project, wrapping up their contribution of artwork for streetscape benches within Peace Circles. Territory NFP is a youth development organization that provides skill-building programs in urban design, public art, and community planning for young people aged 14-21.
May
Weronika Moskal and Erin Lisac visited Westgate Elementary School in Arlington Heights to teach second grade classes about flooding and flood prevention. Weronika and Erin used a stormwater model that visually depicts flooding conditions and approaches for mitigation for a fun, hands-on activity.
June
Civiltech hosted four students from regional high schools for a four-day internship giving them an immersive look at the variety of occupational opportunities in Civil and Transportation Engineering. The participants enjoyed sessions led by representatives of each Civiltech service department. They visited actual project sites and participated in hands-on activities on project software.
Summer 2025
Civiltech welcomed ten outstanding interns to our staff. Our summer interns came from a variety of universities and worked across different departments at Civiltech enjoying hands-on project experience.
August
Amanda Kleinwachter volunteered for a summer camp at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). Amanda participated in a civil engineering section that included a focus on transportation engineering. The camp welcomed 8 high school students that spent the week learning about the different types of engineering disciplines offered at the university.
October
Civiltech staff held their second event with Embarc hosting twenty students from Chicago’s Bogan High School in the Chicago Office. During this event, the team gave a presentation on Complete Streets and led a discussion on what is included in a Complete Streets design. The students learned about City of Chicago construction standards and discussed the type of transportation they used in their daily lives.
Zaneta Marcinik presented to students as part of Wilbur Wright College’s Engineering Success Seminar. This marked the seventh time Zaneta has presented at this bi-annual event including in February of this year. In her presentation, she shared information about her education and career path, her role and project work at Civiltech, and the importance of the FE and PE exams.
Civiltech celebrated its 37th Anniversary with our annual Walk and Talk. Staff walked 2 miles as a team to raise money for charity. Civiltech donated $2000 raised from The Walk and Talk to Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), an organization committed to transforming lives and communities in Chicago through educational resources and mentorship programs.
November
Amanda Kleinwachter attended a youth engagement event at Marvin Pratt Elementary School in Milwaukee. Amanda used Civiltech’s Beerline Trail Extension project as a project example to facilitate creative discussion imagining what the trail could look like in the future.
Civiltech was a sponsor and active participant in the 18th Annual Illinois Section ITE Student Day. Student day provides an opportunity to connect students with companies and professionals in the Transportation Engineering and Planning industry. Civiltech had a table at the event, and Zaneta Marcinik met with students to share information on Civiltech and the industry.
2025 Holiday
Civiltech staff gift includes a Lego set depicting a senior engineer mentoring a younger engineer. (Best Holiday swag ever!)