John Williamson
Tennessee Tech University junior John Williamson arrived on campus knowing he wanted
to pursue engineering, but he wasn’t sure what that would look like. Three years later,
the Lebanon, Tennessee, native decided on civil engineering, a career that will combine
his passion for working with people and the outdoors.
“I choose Tennessee Tech because I went on a tour with my sister in high school, and
I fell in love with it immediately,” Williamson said. “I learned a lot about the different
resources available, and I was sold right away. So, from that point I decided, ‘I’m
going to Tennessee Tech. I’ll figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life
once I get there,’ and that’s exactly what I did.”
Williamson initially enrolled as a computer engineering major but realized he wanted
a career that would allow him to work more directly with people. His love for the
outdoors and the environment and his interest in how people interact with it led him
to civil engineering.
“I want a job that is the marriage between working with people, working in the field
and working to design something, and they all come together into one,” he said. “And
that’s where civil engineering lays.”
Now pursuing a civil engineering degree with a minor in business, Williamson has found
opportunities to explore his interest through hands-on coursework. He particularly
enjoys surveying and environmental labs, where students apply the classroom concepts
to real-world challenges, like measuring elevations and water quality.
“If I’m just in the classroom, especially before our lab and our professor is just
drawing out the different stations and the measurements in between, it all just looks
like gibberish,” he said. “It isn’t until we go out into the field and see our stands,
seeing how it actually works, that it actually makes sense to me.”
While his coursework has helped shape his professional interests, Williamson credits
much of his personal growth to the opportunities he has pursued outside the classroom,
where he has found ways to pursue his passion for working with people.
As a student orientation assistant, he has helped welcome incoming freshmen, transfer
students and international students to Tech through the university’s SOAR program.
He also serves as a Trailblazer, leading campus tours for prospective students, and
as a President’s Ambassador, representing the university at events alongside President
Phil Oldham.
“Through all of these things I have developed a lot of communication skills, not only
with students, but also with parents and community members,” Williamson said. “If
they come up to you with a problem, I’ve learned how to lay out all the information
in a way that helps ease their anxieties.”
For Williamson, those experiences are more than opportunities to get involved. They
are helping him develop the communication, leadership and relationship-building skills
he hopes to carry into his engineering career.
He also credits his freshman adviser, Kayla Wilson, with helping him navigate important decisions during his time at Tech. Even after his freshman year, Williamson continued seeking her advice as he explored his academic and professional interests.
“She helped me decide things for myself and made me feel confident in my own decisions,”
he said.
As he looks toward graduation, Williamson hopes to find a career that allows him to
combine his engineering education with his interest in connecting with others. He
hopes to eventually help develop future talent in the field.
For students who arrive at Tech without a clear picture of their future like him, Williamson encourages them to take advantage of the opportunities around them, even when those opportunities fall outside their majors.
“My number one piece of advice I would give to an incoming freshman or my younger self even would definitely be just to say yes to any opportunity that you see or hear about,” Williamson said. “You never know what someone has to offer you. Always say yes.”