KCW Hosts Severna Park Students For Engineering Job Shadow Day

Earlier this spring, KCW partnered with Severna Park High School (SPHS) to host 12 students from the Women in Engineering club as they shadowed engineers for a day.

As a women-owned business, KCW Engineering (KCW) welcomed the students into its diverse workforce to experience a day in the life of an engineer. KCW’s president and CEO, Kimberly Groves, was first inspired by the students when she attended a Women in Engineering club meeting to share her journey of becoming a professional engineer and owner of KCW.

The students had one-on-one and group mentorship with engineers whose experience ranges from five to 35 years. Students explored facets of civil, telecommunications, electrical and traffic control engineering.

“I found it interesting to know how big the spectrum of engineering is,” said Caroline Altman Farrell, a SPHS student. “Civil engineering is so vast, and there is something that everyone could be interested in.”

KCW designers and engineers were impressed with the students’ professionalism and eagerness to learn.

Groves encouraged the students to shift their focus from being the best female engineer to being the best engineer at the table.

Groves owns and operates KCW alongside her sister, Melissa Walker, co-owner, executive vice president and CFO of KCW Engineering.

With their childhood in Pasadena, current residences in Severna Park and business in Glen Burnie, Groves and Walker have affinity for Anne Arundel County.

The students are part of a SPHS initiative called Project Lead the Way (PLTW) where they take a hands-on approach to learning engineering.

PLTW consists of engineering courses that engage students in problem solving, teamwork and real-world challenges.