Convocation ‘23: Jared Newton, BSc, Civil Engineering Co-op

Jared Newton, BSc Civil Engineering Co-op

I knew I wanted the sense of pride that comes from creating something tangible for the betterment of society.

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For someone who had always loved math and science, Jared Newton considered civil engineering the ideal discipline to study at the University of Alberta, because it drew on his natural problem-solving abilities and would also teach him the skills he would need to contribute to his community in meaningful ways. He chose the co-op option to maximize his education and gain valuable hands-on experience in the industry.

As a co-op student, Jared spent three terms with Scheffer Andrew Ltd. where he helped to design and build land development projects in the Edmonton area.

His hard work was recognized with the APEGA Past Presidents' Medal in Civil Engineering, which is awarded to the graduating student with the highest academic standing in civil engineering on the basis of the third and fourth year combined.

Now employed full time with the same company where he had his co-op terms, Jared is considering a graduate degree after he gains some experience in the industry he loves!

Congratulations Jared!

What led you to choose your current area of study, and why the U of A for your studies?

Throughout high school I enjoyed my math and science classes the most, however, for my career, I knew I wanted the sense of pride that comes from creating something tangible for the betterment of society. Therefore, civil engineering was the perfect fit. It allows me to use my problem solving abilities and technical knowledge to design and build infrastructure in my own community for everyone to use that I can be proud of.

I chose the University of Alberta for my studies for a number of reasons. It was close to home as I have lived in Devon all my life. I have family members that are U of A alumni, and I knew that the U of A had an outstanding engineering program.

Tell us about your experience in your program.

Engineering was definitely a difficult ride, but because of how challenging it was, I grew substantially and developed invaluable time management skills as well as the ability to solve problems under pressure. Civil and environmental engineering gave me a wonderful new lens to see and understand the world around me.

What is one of your favourite memories from your time at U of A?

My favourite memories from the U of A all stem from time spent with friends struggling and learning together. By struggling through the difficult material and helping each other learn, we created life long friendships that we can carry into our careers and lives.

Tell us about your favourite professor and/or class.

My favourite professor was Douglas Tomlinson. I had him for CIVE 372 and CIVE 474 and he was great for both. He was always organized during class and his lecture slides were incredibly clear and detailed which made learning the difficult material much easier. I loved his goofy humour during class which I felt helped the class stay engaged during lectures. His assignments were fair and he was always a great help when I was confused about something from the lectures or the assignments.

What advice do you have for current and future students?

My advice for current and future students in engineering would be to find the discipline and stream that you are most passionate about because it is much easier to find motivation when you are struggling if you have passion. Also, for me, I found that it was very important to stay on top of all of my tasks and have good time management because it is very easy to fall behind and become overwhelmed with the workload that comes with engineering.

How do you plan on celebrating convocation?

I went on a trip to England, Scotland and Ireland with a friend that is graduating at the same time.

What's next after graduation?

I returned to Scheffer Andrew Ltd as an engineer-in-training (EIT). My plan is to gain as much experience as possible in the coming years as I work towards achieving my P.Eng. Depending on my experience as I work towards my P.Eng, I will consider returning to the U of A for a master’s degree in the future. This decision will be determined by what type of work I enjoy most in the coming few years.