Feature Stories 2022: Evans Kussi '22: Prepared for success

Evans, you transferred from Quinsigamond Community College. Why did you choose to attend UMassD?

"I chose UMass Dartmouth because I was looking for a university that offered the best education in New England. It also was not too far from my hometown."

What drew you to your major?

"Civil engineering is flexible in terms of ways to solve problems. Growing up I have always been good at math and building things with my hands. I picked civil engineering as my major because I realized that I could use my creativity to bring ideas to life that can positively make a difference in this world someday."

As an undergraduate student, you completed three internships. Can you talk about your experiences? 

"I interned at Liberty Mutual as a global cybersecurity engineer where I had the opportunity to use cybersecurity software tools to create and improve a monitoring dashboard that would automatically send my team updates whenever an enterprise fails. I also collaborated with a highly experienced information security engineer to perform a threat modeling review and risk assessment of a new application. I participated in group hackathons where we built a work-life balance application. I also contributed to the implementation of SailPoint IIQ across the organization.

I have had the opportunity to intern at S.W. Cole Engineering as a lab technician/geotechnical engineering intern. In the lab, I ran tests on the soil samples. In the field, I shadowed geotechnical engineers on a lot of projects. I also had the opportunity to go out and mark my own locations using site plans as well as oversee drilling at specific sites while also classifying the soil. It was a wonderful experience.

Lastly, I interned with Hack.Diversity, which is a software development program based in Boston. I learned software tools to participate in a hackathon where we built a library application for a coffee shop. My internship experiences helped me determine what path to take in terms of my career. More importantly, I met so many amazing people, and mentors and improved my network, which I was grateful for."

Tell us about your leadership experience?

"I was involved in many organizations and clubs. On campus, I was part of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineers Without Borders, and National Society of Black Engineers organizations. Off campus, I was involved in a semi-professional soccer team as well as other local soccer clubs that kept me occupied throughout the week. With all these experiences, I feel like I really prepared for life after graduation. I have made a lot of connections and have expanded my networks. I have also met a lot of mentors who have been helpful to me."

How has UMass Dartmouth prepared you for life after graduation?

"I feel a lot more confident walking into the real world. Throughout my experience, I have developed leadership skills, teamwork skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills that will be useful regardless of where my life takes me."