Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Alumna Finds Creative Ways to Give Back

The way alumna Ingrid Davis-Colato sees it, Mason Engineering’s faculty helped her build a rewarding career as a water resource engineer. She’s determined to do the same for others.

“I want to pay back a little of what Mason gave me,” says DavisColato, BS Civil and Infrastructure Engineering ’16, MS Civil and Infrastructure Engineering ’19.

Her career journey began when she moved to the United States from El Salvador at age 19, learned to speak English, and earned associate degrees in engineering and business administration from Northern Virginia Community College.

She came to Mason unsure of the next steps on her path. “My father has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, but he told me his dream was to become an engineer because engineers are experts at problem-solving.”

That motivated her to explore engineering opportunities. When she took several water resource classes in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE), she found her passion. She works at Michael Baker International, helping construction companies, municipalities, and government agencies avoid flooding when they build roads, parking lots, or buildings. “I make sure the water that is leaving the developing site is clean, so it won’t pollute streams, rivers, or bays,” she says.

To give back to Mason, she returns every semester to do guest lectures for civil engineering classes. She also serves as a technical advisor for Mason’s Engineers for International Development.

In January of 2020, she accompanied the group to Ecuador, where they built a new clean water system for a small, poverty-stricken community. “The students designed the whole system. I was able to be in the trenches with these students, laying pipes with them, translating between the students and the people in the community,” she says. “We provided water for a dozen houses that have never had potable water in their lives.”

Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Alumna Finds

Creative Ways to Give Back

“My father has a bachelor’s degree in business administration, but he told me his dream was to become an engineer because engineers are experts at problem-solving.”

One day, Davis-Colato would like to earn a doctorate from Mason and return as an adjunct professor. “I like teaching, but I don’t see myself leaving industry to become a full-time professor. I want to help students in the same ways that my professors helped me.” g

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