Georgia Southern graduate flourishes through change | Newsroom

Might 11, 2022

Accepting change is among the best classes that civil engineering graduate Eman Woods realized throughout his time at Georgia Southern College, and it’s one thing he’ll carry with him as he begins to navigate his future.

As a toddler, Woods dreamed that he would turn out to be a veterinarian. That modified when he found that, although he liked studying about animals, he was not a fan of the medical aspect of the job. In trying to find a brand new dream, his household prompt that he attempt engineering.

“My dad and mom have been like ‘You’ve gotten a mathematical thoughts. You ought to be an engineer,’” Woods stated. “In order that’s the place I went. I wasn’t certain what department of engineering I wished to check, so I took a web-based quiz and civil engineering simply appeared to click on. I undoubtedly have an inherent ability for it, and I do have a future within the trade.”

As he started his research, Woods’ expectations of a profession in engineering modified.

“I initially thought it was simply with the ability to do math, however it’s much more than that,” Woods stated. “It’s bizarre as a result of the sector actually has three main parts. The primary two are with the ability to do the work mathematically and with the ability to work with folks in a enterprise setting. Then there’s a written portion the place you’ve to have the ability to perceive what you’re doing at a degree the place you’ll be able to talk it to different folks in a method that they will perceive it too.”

He was capable of work on these further abilities with the assistance of his fellow fraternity members. Raised in a navy household, Woods’ childhood concerned frequent strikes. Nevertheless, in highschool, he found a love for music and it was this ardour that led him to a brand new dwelling at Georgia Southern.

“I used to be a part of two fraternities, Kappa Kappa Psi, a nationwide honorary band service fraternity, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia,” Woods stated. “It was a bizarre transition going from one to a different or doing each on the similar time however, after discovering a stability, it was like becoming a member of one big household. The folks in these organizations will sacrifice what they will to assist and can stick their necks out for you, so it’s nearer than a good friend group. It’s a household.”

His expertise with this musical household led to many memorable moments throughout his faculty profession, his favourite of which he skilled with the Southern Delight Marching Band throughout his freshman 12 months in 2015.

“By far my favourite second was the GoDaddy Bowl recreation we gained in 2015,” Woods stated. “It felt straight out of the films. It was such a magical occasion. They flew the band on the market and no one thought our soccer staff had it in us, however then we gained. I bear in mind considering that that is it, that is what faculty is like. I liked it.”

Lasting seven years, Woods’ undergraduate expertise was longer than anticipated. Over that point he labored a number of part-time jobs to assist fund his schooling.

“It was tough,” Woods stated. “When it got here to a precedence record it was all the time teachers and jobs. My schedule was full with conferences, work and sophistication. I all the time had one thing happening, so there was by no means only a second to breathe. It was a battle, however I accepted that we don’t have to complete within the actual 4 years. Life occurs. The necessary factor is that you simply keep it up and you retain pushing.”

Woods will cross the stage incomes his bachelor’s diploma at Allen E. Paulson Stadium on Might 11, after which his life will change once more as he plans to maneuver away from Georgia and seek for a job within the engineering area.

“I’ve been on the East Coast of america most of my life,” Woods stated. “I want to see what it’s like on the opposite aspect of the nation. Texas, California, even touring outdoors the U.S. I might like to see Paris or Spain and simply see how the world is. Issues change extra rapidly than we give them credit score for. Something that may, will change and also you simply must be able to adapt on the fly. That’s the one huge factor I realized was to all the time be prepared for what comes subsequent.”