Elizabeth Widman isn’t above taking advice from others.
It has seemed to work quite well for her, thank you. She has parlayed guidance from a variety of sources into a career in civil engineering. “When I was a senior in high school, my Tech Prep teacher, Brian Sneider, suggested I shadow his sister, Barb Jones, at her job,” Widman said. “She is a civil engineer for the City of Toledo, Division of Transportation. After shadowing her, I decided to study civil engineering. My first college internship the following year was with Barb at the city.”  The Fremont native then completed internships or co-ops with Mannik and Smith of Michigan, Dansard Grohnke Long and The Stansley Group. Those experiences gave her the opportunity to learn from people in the field.

In May of 2004, Widman earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Toledo. She then completed another internship with the Ohio Department of Transportation, District 5, before accepting a position as a design engineer with Columbus Engineering Consultants in Columbus.

Terra Community College gave her a head start through two programs that allow high school students to take college coursework.  “Through Tech Prep and Post-Secondary Enrollment Options at Terra, I was able to take classes in the engineering field along with general education courses which transferred on to the University of Toledo,” she said. “These classes helped me get my engineering degree done about a year early.”

As a high school junior and senior, Widman was able to complete about 60 credit hours in industrial engineering at Terra. And since the Tech Prep and PSEO programs are free to the students, Widman was able to save thousands of dollars in college tuition.

Because of her hard work and academic achievements early on at Terra, Widman was also able to secure many engineering scholarships to help pay her way at the University of Toledo. She received awards from Women in Engineering, Mosser Construction, the Associated General Contractors of Ohio, Midwest Roofing Contractors Association and Flexible Pavements of Ohio.

Widman has been employed at Columbus Engineering Consultants for a year. She uses AutoCAD and Microstation to design roadways, culverts, bridges and other land development projects. She also estimates construction material quantities and sequence of operations for traffic-related projects.

Even though it’s early in her career, Widman is anxious to help others who might be considering a career in engineering. It’s now her turn to provide guidance. “I would say try out a couple of different engineering courses to see if your strengths are in one discipline versus another,” she said. “Finding a mentor in the field also helps. Doing those things helped me decide to go into civil engineering.”

Widman is especially excited about introducing other women to engineering. “Since my college years, I have been involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers,” she said. “With the Society of Women Engineers Central Ohio chapter, we are actively involved in recruiting young women into engineering through Engineers Week in February and joint meetings with college chapters.”