The Impact of Interning: Lillie Williams

Lillie Williams began interning for McGill in the summer of 2021 as a freshman in college. Now a recent graduate and full-time employee, Lillie shares how interning impacted her career path.

About Lillie Williams, NCSU Graduate

lillie graduation pic Lillie graduated in May from North Carolina State University, where she majored in Civil Engineering. Outside of work, Lillie enjoys working out, staying involved with her church, spending time with friends and family, and baking. Lillie is very excited to continue working for McGill as a full-time employee and looks forward to expanding her skillset and working on innovative projects for our clients.

Gaining Hands On Experience During her McGill Internship

Interning allows you to have tangible experience in the workplace that cannot be taught in a classroom environment. She said, “Interning at McGill was my first exposure to working in a professional environment. My internship not only allowed me to gain technical knowledge, but also how to communicate and work effectively with others.” While interning with McGill, Lillie was able to be a part of many exciting projects. She really enjoyed client meetings and working on design for the North Wilkesboro Raw Water Intake project. As a full-time employee, she has the opportunity to continue working on that project.

Benefits of Internship Show Up in Class

Interning as a student can also help in the classroom. Lillie said, “My internships at McGill allowed me to gain knowledge that not only prepared me for a career after college but was also directly related to my course work. I was introduced to various hydraulic calculations during my second internship with McGill. This significantly benefited me during my next semester when I took a hydraulics course and allowed me to be one step ahead in learning the material. My internships also exposed me heavily to the engineering design process which was very beneficial during senior elective courses and my senior design project.”

Importance of Doing an Internship

Lillie stressed the importance that interning made on her career path, saying, “Interning at McGill is what ultimately led me to choose civil engineering as my major. After witnessing the impact McGill projects have on communities and individuals, I knew I wanted to have a part in the work McGill is doing. As an intern, I was always treated as a valued team member and had opportunities to work on interesting projects. Numerous individuals spent time investing in my life and future career throughout my internships and continue pouring into me as a young professional.”

Why A McGill Internship?

In July, Lillie became a full-time member of McGill’s Hickory Water / Wastewater Team. “The individuals I get to work with each day and the unique company culture that exists at McGill is ultimately what led me to continue returning to the McGill internships and pursue a full-time position after graduation. Throughout college, I always looked forward to returning to McGill in the summer, and now I look forward to coming to work each day. I received remarkable mentorship as an intern and was confident that McGill would be the best place to begin my career.”

Lillie’s Advice to Students

Lillie’s biggest piece of advice to anyone wanting to pursue a career in engineering would be to take advantage of opportunities to gain hands-on experience early on. She said, “Interning the summer after my freshman year of college exposed me to civil engineering in practice for the first time and significantly changed my career path. The opportunity to work at McGill early in my college career allowed me to narrow down which field of engineering I was interested in and gave me a greater understanding of what my future career would look like.”