Valentina D'Costa

Valentina D’Costa graduated from the BS/MS Program at NYU Tandon School of Engineering in 2017, acquiring both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.  Along with academics, Valentina was highly engaged in student organizations. During her undergraduate years, she founded and led student organizations such as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and Women In Search of Excellence (WISE). She was the president of AIChE, leading the organization to great success -- engaging, informing, and getting students excited about chemical engineering. She organized professional networking events, bringing opportunities to the chemical engineering student body to help them advance and plan their careers. Along with her amazing team, she led the group to regional recognition by the parent chapter of AIChE. She founded WISE to bring about greater opportunities and build a strong, female-empowered community in a very male-dominated university. This organization helped give support to female engineers in the making, continuously encouraging and supporting their dreams in the STEM fields, as well as working through any barriers they faced in their undergraduate lives. It was a very rewarding experience for Valentina to share empowering stories and allow young women to persevere in the field of science and engineering. 
 
In addition to academics, undergraduate and graduate research, and campus activities at NYU, Valentina began her internship with Con Edison in 2015.  Her journey at Con Edison began in the 74th Street Steam Generating Station. Here she had the opportunity to be a part of the Environment Health and Safety Department, where she gained valuable industry experience. Upon graduating from NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Valentina joined the Growth Opportunities Leadership Development (GOLD) Program at Con Edison in 2017. As a GOLD candidate, she was required to complete three rotations, each spanning 6 months. Her first rotation was in Facilities Operations and Maintenance as an Operating Supervisor. She led the MAXIMO Integration Imitative for Facilities in Brooklyn and Staten Island. She mitigated the budget allocation process for capital projects in 2017. Her second rotation was in Engineering and Planning in Manhattan Customer Engineering as an Engineering Supervisor. There she led the delegation and completion of the engineering designs for services of the City Bridge Project. She supervised, assigned, reviewed and approved engineering layouts and budgets composed by designers and vendors for retail and major new business services. She also led the monthly Business and Safety meeting with Union and Management employees to encourage engagement and inclusion. Her last rotation was in Electric Operations in Manhattan Underground District 3 as an Operating Supervisor. There she supervised underground splicers in daily work as well as emergency response. She was the lead project manager of a 64th street and Broadway event involving major structural fires and emergency response as well as recovery work on the primary and the secondary electric system. Her experience in the GOLD Program equipped her to be an effective, inclusive and informative leader. 
 
Upon graduating from the GOLD Program, she started her permanent position as a District Manager in Brooklyn/Queens Energy Services. She supervises Energy Service Representatives (ESRs) who remain in constant communication with customers in order to receive progress and close out all electrical and gas service requests in Brooklyn and Queens. Her responsibilities include guaranteeing the safety of her employees and her customers by diligently processing each case to all safety compliance. She upholds operational excellence in following specifications, guidelines and city/state compliance while processing cases effectively. She also strives to provide the plus one customer experience, as she is the customer’s direct liaison to Con Edison. She hopes to continue to be an effective team leader and move the department to new heights. 
 
As a part of the Polytechnic Alumni Association and a member of the International Board of Directors, she hopes to continue her relationship with her Alma Mater. She has been heavily involved in the Tandon community since graduating, as she still attends student-organized professional events to share her experiences. It is important to Valentina that she remains involved and promotes the school’s progress. She is aware of the resources readily available, as well as possible new technology, that will continue to promote groundbreaking discoveries right here in Brooklyn. As a member of the PAA, Valentina envisions more engagement and interaction between professionals, alumni and the student body. Building networks is key to progressing to the future. It is with collaboration and dedication that we may enter the bright future we engineer today.