Hometown: Austin, Texas

Current year: Senior

Why I chose Purdue Civil Engineering

Pretty much all my life, my family, friends, and teachers have said "You're going to be an engineer one day," or "You've got the mindset of an engineer." And they were right. I’ve always loved building things and taking things apart, so I knew that the college I chose had to have a strong engineering program — and I found that in Purdue University.

As a freshman, I was still unsure which type of engineering I wanted to pursue. I knew I wanted something that involved building, being outdoors, and helping people, though. And, soon enough, I discovered the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and realized it offered everything that I had been looking for.

Emphasis area

My emphasis area is in Construction Engineering. I want to be a part of teams that build structures and facilities that will be of great benefit to their communities. Looking forward, I think my dream projects to work on would be animal shelters and maybe even a zoo. I love animals and I think both zoos and shelters are fantastic ways to improve an area.

Mackenzie loves animals and says her dream project is to one day build a zoo or an animal shelter.

Mini bridge builder

One of the activities I am most proud of during my time here at Purdue has been my involvement in the annual Bridge Bust Competition. Every year, dozens of high schools come to Purdue to test the strength of their balsa wood bridges. It's a great way to get kids excited about engineering and it's a tradition a lot of people look forward to every year.

After I graduate

After I graduate in May, I will be going to work for Saunders Construction in Colorado. I interned for them in the past and they offered me an engineering position when I graduate. I am very excited to start a new phase in my life and I cannot wait to be officially part of the team.

A Texas native, Mackenzie said she could not be happier with her decision to attend Purdue University.