Meet Natalie Gulan, Civil Engineering major

How were you introduced to Civil Engineering?

When I was in high school, I took part in the ACE Mentor Program. The acronym stands for Architecture, Construction, and Engineering, and it was founded specifically to introduce students to those fields. At the beginning of the semester, participants brainstorm and decide what type of problem they’re interested in tackling. I took part during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we met remotely. I was particularly involved in the redesign of an office space for a mock client. I enjoyed working in a collaborative setting and gaining exposure to all the sub-disciplines of engineering.

I found out that I love areas like scheduling and cost estimation, so that gave me the idea to pursue construction project management.

Why NYU Tandon?

It was a very natural choice. For one thing, I’m from Staten Island and wanted to remain in the city for both my education and future career. Also, my sister, Caroline, had just been admitted to the Civil Engineering program as a transfer student..

Have you had any interesting internships?

Yes, I’ve been very lucky. In the summer of 2024, at Swinerton, which is a national construction firm, I interned as a project engineer, which meant I got exposure to design software and field documentation processes–all things I really enjoy. This past summer, I was an intern at Suffolk Construction, where I worked on a project involving a building in the close-out stage, which introduced me to some things that were very new to me. I really appreciated that because as a civil engineer, there are always going to be new challenges, no matter what the project.

What extracurricular activities do you participate in?

I’m part of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, which falls under the umbrella of Tandon’s Vertically Integrated Projects program. We’re divided into structural analysis, architectural, and construction management sub-teams, and we study the influence of seismic activity on structures and develop mitigation strategies. I’m also in the Society of Women Engineers, and I’m the secretary of the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

I also just helped to get the student chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America back up and running. I’m the vice-president, and my sister is the president, which makes things fun. AGC just awarded me one of their annual scholarships, so I’m grateful for that.

What do you foresee doing after graduation?

I definitely want to remain involved in construction project management. Suffolk Construction has a really dynamic rotational program, so I’m naturally interested in that. It’s very competitive though, so I’ll have to see.

Any advice for students wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Network, network, network! It’s so important to make connections with both industry professionals and your peers. Join clubs, go to career fairs, suggest collaborations. In general, take advantage of everything on offer at Tandon and in New York City. Being here has a lot of advantages.