2021: Elio Daher '21: Why he chose UMassD

Elio graduated with his BS in civil engineering from UMassD this month and will pursue his MS in geosystems engineering at the University of California Berkeley. (Photo courtesy E.Daher)

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Elio Daher '21: Why he chose UMassD

Elio, a transfer student from Lebanon, shares why he chose UMass Dartmouth over other universities and his experience as an intern.

Elio Daher, a senior civil engineering student, transferred to UMass Dartmouth in the fall of 2019 from Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, a four-year private college in Lebanon. “I chose UMass Dartmouth over other universities because they transferred 63 out of 70 credits obtained from my previous college.”

During his senior year, Elio landed an internship with Fenagh Engineering and Testing, a company that provides field inspections and materials testing services for construction projects. “Being on the field increased my opportunities to network with professionals in the industry.” He says a key takeaway was learning about the importance of verbal and written communication skills due to the need to discuss inspection results in person and through writing daily field reports.

Elio also says he learned that connections are not always with professionals in the industry. “Professors, friends, family members, and classmates are also considered contacts. For instance, one of my peers and friends at UMassD recommended me to the hiring team at Fenagh. Likewise, professors play a very important role in helping students to choose their career path and may introduce them to experts based on their domain of interest. My senior design project was sponsored by Haley & Aldrich, a geotechnical and environmental consulting firm. The interaction with the team from H&A increased my knowledge and interest in geotechnical engineering, thus an opportunity to intern during the summer of 2021 at their Boston, MA office.”

Upon his completion of the internship with Haley & Aldrich in August 2021, Elio is heading to pursue his master of science in geoSystems engineering at the University of California Berkeley. Finally, Elio said that UMass Dartmouth provided him with incredible education with opportunities to achieve his academic and professional goals anywhere in the States.