Morgan Freeman

When Morgan Freeman toured Auburn, she expected cutting-edge labs. What she didn’t expect was a community that would send her to Guatemala, launch her career in commercial construction and keep her connected long after graduation. After earning a civil and environmental engineering degree, she’s back on the Plains for a master’s degree and more Auburn experiences.

Why Auburn

“I came to tour Auburn because of my interest in engineering, and I knew Auburn had world-class engineering facilities, but I fell in love with the people and the hometown feel. From engineering faculty to student tour guides, everyone was welcoming and had tremendous knowledge to share about their Auburn experience.”

Why Engineering

“I have always loved building things and being detailed. Both of my parents work in construction, leading to my passion for complex projects. Engineering, and more specifically civil engineering, is a tremendous gateway for me to learn more about the underlying technical concepts of construction. The building blocks I have learned during my undergraduate degree and now graduate school have been extremely useful in my commercial construction career.

Involvement

“I was involved in Engineers Without Borders as an undergraduate, which was extremely impactful on my ability to apply engineering concepts taught in a class setting to real-world applications. I traveled to Guatemala, where we implemented a water distribution project, which was my most formative experience at Auburn. Building connections with fellow Auburn engineers, working with the local community and taking a water resources project from design to implementation helped prepare me for working in the fast-paced and diverse world of construction.

Future goals

“I am currently working to finish my master’s degree with Auburn online while working full-time for Gilbane Building Company. I hope to earn my professional engineer’s license in the next three years and continue my career with Gilbane, focused on complex mechanical, electrical and plumbing construction. I also hope to be able to recruit more Auburn engineers and continue to work with our women and construction groups to bring more young women into the construction industry.”

To learn more about Freeman, check out her interview with the award-winning #GINNing Podcast.