Meet Deidra Anderson

Deidra Anderson has spent her last five summers interning at our office in Boston, working with structural engineers, learning computer-aided design and building bridges. Read on to find out more about Deidra and her budding engineering career. 

Back in 2019, when Deidra was just 17 years old, she visited the Jacobs’ Boston office for a shadow day where she met her current mentor, Rebecca Williamson. During that visit, Deidra engaged with various professionals who discussed their projects – ultimately solidifying her interest in engineering and a summer internship at Jacobs. Five years later, and now a college graduate, Deidra continues to spend her summers with Jacobs. 

Deidra’s passion for math and exposure to engineering classes in high school initially fueled her passion for science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). She was fascinated by emerging technologies and made the easy decision to major in civil engineering in college. During her first summer internship, she was introduced to computer-aided design (CAD). Now she not only explains CAD to her fellow interns, but she’s also tackling bridge load calculations and complex drafting. Deidra keeps coming back to Jacobs because of the support of her colleagues and exposure to diverse projects. 

Deidra earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts in May of 2024. Graduating with high distinction, she was a 12-season varsity athlete for NCAA DIII cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. This fall, she is attending the University of Tennessee (UT) to pursue her master’s in structural engineering while conducting research for the U.S. Navy on dynamic vibration mitigation in submarines. Deidra has won the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Massachusetts Education Corporation Presidents’ Scholarship award three times and was the recent recipient of the 2024 ACEC College of the Fellows Scholar of the Year Award. 

What keeps you coming back to the intern program at Jacobs? 

The people that I’m around, the exposure to different projects, even the office I am sitting in – I really like coming into the city every day and interacting with so many great people and projects. 

Why are you pursuing a career in STEAM? 

I’ve always been a math person and in high school I started taking some engineering courses and learned about things that were beyond what I ever imagined. I was inspired by different types of technology including space flight and impressive structures like the Panama Canal. 

Looking back on your past internships with Jacobs, what are some of the highlights? 

I love doing field work and various inspections – it’s so helpful to watch the projects come to life. I’m also very fond of this one project – the Lanesboro Resurfacing project in Massachusetts, which is primarily for the highway group, but there is a small bridge within that project that I treat as my own. I did all the calculations for it, all the drafting, and I have a sense of ownership and pride of this one little bridge in the middle of nowhere. 

What are you looking forward to this summer?

I hope to get more exposure to the clients and learn how to handle adversity on projects. Watching very skilled people handle that is one of the most valuable things that I’ve started to learn. Even from my experience abroad, I know that projects are always changing and that the most successful engineers can adapt to these changes.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Improving Engagement Among Youth in After-School Programs at Banksia Gardens Community Services

Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Mangrove Boardwalk Project