As a young professional in the water industry, I strive to take every opportunity to expose myself to new ways of working and learn as much as I can from leaders in the industry. Opportunities to attend events like the WEF/AWWA Utility Management Conference are instrumental in advancing my career.
UMC is one of the leading, most informative and prestigious conferences for the water industry. Following two years of remote working and limited interaction with colleagues, this year’s conference provided a great opportunity to meet and engage with water and wastewater leaders and professionals from across the country.
UMC provides an opportunity for collaboration within the industry
The WEF/AWWA YP Summit is held on the first day of UMC and features professional development sessions, guidance from industry experts, and networking receptions focused on young and emerging professionals. The theme of this year’s summit was “creative resilience” and featured extremely engaging sessions focused on unlocking creativity and transforming personal resiliency into team resiliency, using design thinking and problem framing to develop stronger solutions, and incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion to foster innovation.
Both the conference and the YP Summit included networking opportunities for young professionals to ask questions and build relationships with industry experts which, as an avid believer in the power of mentorship, was very important to me. I also met with other Arcadians working throughout the country and was able to share my projects and experiences with them as well as learn about the exciting projects they are working on.
I take immense pleasure in working in the water/wastewater industry, as we are ultimately working toward building sustainable communities.
Investing in our people today means a better workforce tomorrow
I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to attend UMC and network with clients, senior leaders, and colleagues I would not have otherwise had the chance to meet in person. Interacting with successful professionals and learning about the key aspects of the water/wastewater industry has been invaluable for my career over the past few years, and it’s made me realize the importance of being part of a company that also values such experiences. In the two years I’ve been with Arcadis, I’ve received tremendous support from my supervisors to engage in professional organizations such as WEF and AWWA – I started as the President of the Florida Section AWWA Student Chapter at the University of South Florida in 2016 and currently serve as the Vice-Chair for the Florida Water Environment Association’s Public Communications and Outreach Committee.
Involvement in such organizations helps to drive innovation, enhance the expertise of water professionals and increase awareness of the value of water. Beyond this, they allow young and emerging professionals like me to explore our passions, understand industry challenges and discover emerging technologies, making us better prepared to improve quality of life.
