When we went into the field mid-October to see the final stages of this $85 million project, it was a warm, about 75 degrees. Hien told me it wasn't nearly as warm as Vietnam where he lived until he was 13. He said everyday was T-shirt weather. Hein says: "I earned my Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from UW and have been with WSDOT since April 1991." I started out as a Transportation Engineer 1. Over the course of my career, I have moved around in 7 different offices (Design, Construction, Traffic, and Ferries) as promotional and transfer opportunities presented themselves." Along the way, I earned a Profession Engineer license, a Masters Degree, and a Project Management Professional certificate. I have been a Project Engineer for 7 years." Looking back, WSDOT is a great place to work where there are a lot of opportunities to fill one’s interest whether to advance one’s career or to be a well-rounded engineer in term of expertise." Early on, my goal was to be a well-rounded engineer, but found that it got harder and harder as I moved up the career ladder. The good thing is that with each new position comes a new set of challenges that require a different skill set and understanding to do the job. This makes the job interesting and keeps me motivated in learning new things." Currently, as a Project Engineer, I lead an office with 30 engineers and technicians to administer the construction of highway improvement projects. This means I make sure that the project is built per plan, under budget, on time, with minimal traffic impact, and no environmental issues. Sometimes, this is not easy because there are inherent conflicts. Whether it’s due to plan ambiguities, poor weather, labor strikes, different site condition, changes in law/regulation, changes in tax rate, changes in personnel, added work, etc., it can make building these multi-million dollar projects a challenge." I supposed the biggest challenge or task in my job is to manage change of any kind." Hien Trinh WSDOT Project Engineer, SR 520 Widening

Hometown: Fremont, California Degree: Bachelor of engineering and master of engineering management, Thayer School of Engineering Graduating with two engineering degrees after six years in Hanover, Wenzel truly bleeds green. Thayer School is a “wonderfully unique place,” he says, that “creates a real feeling of community and camaraderie amongst the students.” The countless late night sessions of “grinding through problem sets or projects with classmates were brutal at the time, but on those evenings I probably learned the most while making some of my best friends.” Lessons from outside the classroom? “Dartmouth has taught me how to effectively manage my life. While academics always had priority, I realized I wouldn't be happy unless I effectively balanced it against other activities like sports, volunteering, and a social life.” Next up for Wenzel is a job at Google, improving the environmental performance of the company’s buildings. He also plans to pursue a master’s in sustainable design and construction from Stanford.