Nebraska Women in STEM talked to Alvine Engineering Principal Stephanie Guy about the importance of sponsorship and networking in career success.
“I’d have never guessed that I would sit next to someone at a blood drive in my hometown of 500 people that could literally change the trajectory of my career. She opened doors.”
Alvine Engineering Principle Stephanie Guy grew up in Mullen, Neb., population 500. Her first summer back from the University of Nebraska Omaha’s (UNO) architectural engineering program, she just so happened to strike up a conversation with a woman at a local blood drive. That woman turned out to be Lyn Ziegenbein, the Executive Director of the Kiewit Foundation. Steph babysat for Lyn, and Lyn served as a sponsor to her throughout her college experience, connecting her to internships and job opportunities in the engineering industry.
“The power of building your network can never be underestimated. I think that’s a tougher thing for college students to do now, but college is the perfect time to start to build your network and experience things.”
Architectural engineering was a great fit for Steph because it allowed her to be both creative and technical. In addition to her academic pursuits, Steph ran on the UNO track team, which allowed her to find more female friends outside of the Scott Scholar dorms. At the time, the Scott program was only about 20 percent female.
“It was really eye opening to experience being in class where oftentimes you were one of a handful of women in a classroom of men.” She always felt welcome but also appreciates that the experience gave her additional skills.
“I think you learn to stick up for yourself or not be afraid to speak out. You know you have to take the opportunities to respond when you’re asked questions and not let the guys overpower the females in the class.”
Thanks to hard work and the support of Lyn’s connections, Steph had internships at Hawkins Construction Company, with Dr. Lily Wang at UNO, and with DLR Group. When she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2004, she went to work at DLR Group part time while also pursuing her master’s degree. Upon graduation in 2005 from her master’s program, she was hired by DLR Group for a full-time position.
Mentors like Dr. Wang and Todd Mack at DLR Group continued to play a pivotal role in her life. Doug Alvine was another such mentor. He taught a class Steph took at UNO and was impressed by her work. Over the years, they stayed in touch and about five years into her career, Doug made her an offer to work at Alvine Engineering. At the time, Steph was about six months pregnant with her second child. Doug was very encouraging, and she accepted the position.
“Doug has continued, since I’ve been here at Alvine, to sponsor me and to help me build and grow my network, my technical skills, and my project experience. I’m surrounded by people who support me and what I do.”
Steph started as a project engineer and made her way up to becoming a principal and a partner. She loves how her work allows her to impact people.
“The buildings that we design make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve gotten the chance to work on a lot of different projects from as small as a bathroom remodel to a 60-story high-rise. I’ve worked on projects across the country. The opportunity to see your work come to life and then see people using the space is wonderful – we’re making people’s lives better. It brings me a lot of joy.”
She’s currently proud to be a part of an all-female team working on a South Omaha project for Girls Inc. Steph says having women in STEM careers is important because women may sometimes see things differently from their male counterparts, but that doesn’t mean those viewpoints are any less valuable.
“Share your opinions, even if you feel like they’re a little off from where the direction is going, because that’s what makes us special and what makes us different. We look at things from a different perspective, and that perspective is needed. So don’t be afraid to speak up. Take a risk.”
Steph knows her path would have looked differently if it weren’t for such strong mentors and sponsors, and she encourages other women to seek out these relationships.
“Finding your people is really important; find those people who are willing to support you and sponsor you. It can be another female. It can be a male, too. It can be anybody. It can be somebody younger, somebody your age, or somebody older. I’ve had lots of people throughout my career who have really helped me. People who see that what I bring is valuable.”