Member Spotlight: Christine Ma
Fun Fact:
I grew up competitive dancing and now I love to play intramural sand volleyball.
Describe a key piece of advice you received during your career, and how it impacted you.
I was very hesitant at networking when I first started because I didn't feel like I knew what to say to "win work." A colleague told me to forget about the business aspect and focus on making real connections with people. It has helped reframe my mindset on how I approach events and I have felt so much more comfortable just getting to know people.
Tell us about an accomplishment you are proud of.
My first start to finish project as a civil engineer was a grocery store in Forney, Texas. I started drafting on the project as an intern and then led the design as a full time employee. I continued to manage the client, owner's rep, and contractor team throughout construction. I had moved to New York before the Grand Opening date of the grocery store but I was told that the client had given high praises to me on how I led the team throughout the project. It was such an amazing feeling to hear the great review, as I was the only woman (and very young at the time!) in a group of 10 men on the project team.
What is a skill you learned when you were younger, that you still use today?
Ask a lot of questions! You don't know what you don't know and I love to find out the "why".