From dominating the basketball court to designing the Atlanta skylines, Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering alumna Dominique Oden says she drew on inspiration and determination to be where she is today.

Growing up in Atlanta, Oden (BSCE ’20, MSCE ’21) said her interest in civil engineering was sparked by her uncle’s influence.

“He was an architect and I found what he did to be really interesting,” Oden said. “I remember asking him what I should do to be in his field and pretty much the first thing he told me was ‘study to be a civil engineer instead.’ From there, I looked to which schools had the best civil engineering programs and Purdue was at the top of all the lists.”

There was one other quality Oden said she was looking for in her university of choice — a strong women’s basketball program. Oden was a talented shooting guard and she wanted to find a place that would allow her to pursue both of her passions at once.

“I’m very happy I chose Purdue; it was exactly what I was looking for,” Oden said. “And learning time management skills as a student-athlete really helped me balance myself”

While studying to earn her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Oden was the starting shooting guard on the women’s basketball team from 2016 until 2020. Over the course of her college career, she started in 132 games and won several Big Ten honorable mention awards.

After earning her master’s degree at Purdue, Oden moved back to Atlanta and is currently working in her second year as a structural design engineer at Davis & Church.

“I’m finishing up on a project in Atlanta that was my first major project when I started working here two and a half years ago,” Oden said. “We’re toward the end of the construction phase and it’s so exciting to watch nothing turn into to full buildings.”

Oden stressed the importance of staying current as a civil engineer and how the EIT license is something that civil students can obtain before they graduate. Another piece of advice Oden offered to current civil and construction engineering students is to utilize the wealth of knowledge and experience available.

“I really wish I had used my professors a bit more in terms of mentorship, and their connections,” Oden said. “They were all so knowledgeable and willing to offer guidance.”

Currently, Oden is spending her free time coaching basketball and learning Krav Maga, an Israeli martial art. “Finding the time, that balance between your work life and your personal time, it’s super important.”