Nathaniel T (Interviewer): Introduce yourself here today.

 

Tsega Anbessie: Hi, my name is Tsega Anbessie. I currently work as an environmental engineer for the Philadelphia Water Department within the city of Philadelphia.

 

Nathaniel T: All right, what does your current job look like day to day? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: So a day-to-day a lot of it is, you know, computer-related work, a lot of data analysis. A lot of you know, reviewing reports, working with contractors, could be data analysis that we’re working on, reports we’re generating. So a lot of it is office space work. There are rare occasions where we do go out to some of our facilities, you know, to do certain surveys and measurements, but it, usually, day-to-day, it's basically office work, looking at, you know, data and reports.

 

Nathaniel T: What do you think are the STEM discipline or disciplines that your job involves? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: A big one is data analysis; we deal with a lot of data on a global scale. I work within the climate change adaptation program for our department. So there's a lot of reading a lot of obviously like, you know, scientific articles, but also we produce a lot of what we call, you know, actionable science products that, you know, can be applied to the different areas within our department for our planners and engineers so basically it’s synthesizing a lot of the data from a global scale to the local scale and make it applicable to a city utility. So I think it's the data, the data analysis, a lot of data QA [quality assurance] QC [quality control], so it's more of the data-heavy side.

 

Nathaniel T: So what do you enjoy most about your work? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: So yeah, I like the fact that we're sort of, you know, we're sort of at least from a water, at least from a water utility perspective, or [some] sort of perspective, we’re out there compared to other pure utilities. In terms of, you know, synthesizing a lot of data that's out there on a global scale and then kind of, since there's a lot of uncertainty with a lot of this, trying to make it, you know, as applicable to what we do. And especially because a lot of what we do involves you know, assets and systems that need to be functional for, you know, a couple of decades at least. So we’re always sort of having this long-term view while, you know, the data that we get or some of the models have a lot of uncertainty involved in them. But, you know, we, like our team, and specifically l, like basically looking at trends that we noticed and coming up with, you know, innovative methods to basically arrive at those sort of localized, you know, projections, that, you know, our planners and engineers can apply. So we're always trying to keep up up-to-date on the science and then also learning from others, but where there's very few, you know, examples to look from, we kind of, you know, a few times we have basically, you know, created, you know, methods; analysis methods, rejection methods that have served, you know, model for others, so I enjoy that.

 

Nathaniel T: So after college and college high school, what has your career path looked like to get to where you are.

 

Tsega Anbessie: So I didn't start out training when I was in college, I thought that I most likely would work in a private industry, but I ended up, in the time that I graduated was a fairly tricky one because it was right at the, I don't know if you’ve heard of it you probably were too young, but it's right around the financial crisis so like it was, it was a bad time for like new graduates. So I ended up working in the public sector, so that wasn't my, it wasn't like my goal or dream per se, but, you know, that was always something in the back of my head in terms of like working in the water sector. So I ended up working for, you know, the water utility for the city of Philadelphia, and, enjoyed it and sort of the more, I mean because we interact with a lot of, you know, private sectors like, you know, consultants, contractors, so I enjoyed being in the public sector more because you sort of tend to see the impact, you get to interact with, you know, the residents and sort of you know, trying to identify problems, trying to find solutions, and sort of, you know, being, I guess you could say, you know, held accountable to the public rather than shareholders. So that's sort of been, while not planned, but something that I, you know, ended up doing after college, but liked it, and sort of, my career has progressed in that space.

 

Nathaniel T: What connections, internships, programs, or work experiences do you think have helped?

 

Tsega Anbessie: I'm trying to think because a lot of my experiences involved working in a laboratory space. So you know, it's definitely helped me with a lot of QA QC things, data analysis, analyzing heavy volume of data, that kind of, that sort of stuff. But, you know, my career ended up being outside of that. Our department does, you know, have a, you know, a bureau of laboratory services that sort of does the water quality monitoring for all our drinking water plants for source water and things like that. But I actually enjoyed working on the data side more, sort of, you know, the data that's collected, looking at that, trying to make sense of it, finding trends, identifying problems, sort of notifying other groups about trying to follow those. So I sort of landed there, so you know, there's no direct experience in terms of, you know, where I ended up, but, you know, it's sort of, there's definitely pieces of it, a lot of the summer internships or things like that that were more sort of a lab environment, that helped.

 

Nathaniel T: In high school, what were your career aspirations, and were you interested in STEM at that point? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: So in high school, while I was definitely, I guess it was more on the S, I wanted to be a chemist, a chemistry major. I've always loved chemistry, so that was sort of where I was thinking, and it was a college tour that I was on, you know, the student that was leading the tour he was asking us, you know, what we wanted to major in and I told him chemistry and he said “Well, you know, like why can't you do chemical engineering? You know, it's, you know, more, it has a lot of the elements of chemistry but has more broad applications." So that sort of got me thinking and like looking into it a little bit, and then ended up majoring in chemical engineering.

 

Nathaniel T: So, have your career aspirations changed since you were in high school, and how much do you think they’ve changed by?

 

Tsega Anbessie: I always imagined that I would be sort of in the private sector. But I ended up being in the public sector and liking it, so it's a little bit like, you know, the opposite of what I thought, and, you know, it worked out in my case. But yeah, I think there's always that like having an impact, you know, in society, one form or another, you know, as a kid I used to think like “oh right like, you know, discovering is cool, you know, drugs, medicines, that like, you know, help with like a lot of diseases and stuff.” That was always like, you know, kind of a kid's dream, but, you know, it's sort of in another way, you know, it's having like the work I do now has an impact on the lives of, you know, the residents of Philadelphia, so like the public. And some of the work we publish, other cities, other utilities, learn from that, take that, apply it. So, you know, it also has a larger impact. So I think that, I guess is sort of a theme that even though I didn't imagine being in the public sector, you know, that having the impact, or my work having an impact, was sort of a thing that I realized in my work.

 

Nathaniel T: So you were talking about those like summer internships, but in high school, did you do any of the summer internships, or maybe classes or activities that were related to STEM? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: Yeah, there was this, I think it was called, sorry this is my memory failing me, but I think it's called the medical program. In high school, and you know, certain students were selected to be in that program, and then we, you know, we took like extra classes, I believe in like junior year, but then in senior year, we actually were assigned to different [locations], so like I was assigned to the University of Pennsylvania Dental School. So I was shadowing, think I would say second and third year students or fourth year as well, and the doctors and the dentist, yeah, just like shadowing them, helping, you know, a lot of the less complicated tasks. So that, we did that throughout senior year so that was, and different, you know, different. It was two kids, that were [there], me and another classmate that was assigned to that program, to that location, and then others, you know, we’re sort of in other participating, other universities or other organizations that were sort of part of that program. 

 

Nathaniel T: So what do you think, for like that medical program, what do you think that helped the most with, for getting to where you are? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: I think maybe seeing, you know, obviously, like they're treating patients right? So it's kind of like, you know, they studied, you know, high school throughout college and then dental school, but it's also to treat patients and have impacts on people's lives. So I think that was one thing. And obviously a lot of, you know, some of the technical, you know, complications, you know, people that had like more complicated cases, you know, or even to see people that could not afford to basically pay for dental care, you know, being able to sort of get, you know, subsidized dental care. So it's sort of elements of like again, you know, having that impact on other people's lives, and as well, and then like you know, the technical complexities that you know, I didn't have much knowledge in terms of like what, you know, what dentistry aside from like, you know, they clean your teeth, they remove your teeth, things like that. So kind of getting exposed to some of the technical things and how, you know, the doctors interact with the students and the patient was definitely a good learning experience.

 

Nathaniel T: So if you could go back to high school, do you think you would've done anything differently to try and make it easier on yourself to get to this profession? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: I think maybe what I sort of observed, especially, you know, in my career, you know, at Philadelphia water, is also what I would sort of would like to have done more of is getting, you know, exposure to different career fields. Because again sometimes, you know, some people end up, you know, going into, you know, to study what they dreamed of studying and, you know, all throughout their lives, in college, and then working in the fields that they intended to. And then there's also others that, you know, that sort of go the opposite of what they either thought they wanted, and switching paths. So I think getting exposed, and my college didn't have that, but you know, other colleges had it, and I think it's a lot of things have changed since I was in high school and college, so I think there's a lot more exposure to high school kids and obviously college kids, you know. A lot more exposure to these different career fields, so that you can get a sense for, you know, someone wanted to be, always wanted to be a doctor, but then they end up sort of shadowing, maybe I don't know, emergency room physicians and realizing they can't stand the sight of blood or like, you know, the intensity of what goes on in the ER. Then it's a good lesson for them to be like, maybe OK, then it's like, OK, maybe I don't exactly wanna do that. So I think having, because a lot of you know, you learn a lot of theory obviously, but it's like, it's a different story when it comes to, you know, once you start your career and start applying some of the things you learned. So I think getting that practical exposure, you know, from various professions is, aside from obviously like talking to people in the fields, actually, you know, getting physical exposure, you know, through shadowing, internships or what have you, I think is very helpful.​

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Nathaniel T: So you said that originally you wanted to be a scientist, but you eventually became an environmental engineer obviously, so what inspired you to become an environmental engineer? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: So it's interesting because, as you know, the chemical engineering field is fairly broad, you know, you could go work in the petrochemical industry, you could go work in the pharmaceutical industry, you can go work in the water sector, and other fields. So it's, you know, it's fairly broad, and I think that was one of the key things, was that you could say the fateful conversation with that college student that was leading the tour. That basically said OK, I thought, you know, he was sort of sharing his experience and where he ended up, and was opening my eyes to, you know, the wide range of fields that I could apply a chemical engineering degree to, so which I thought was, you know, convincing. [It] convinced me to instead of applying to like the school of arts and sciences, where the chemistry department is, I applied to the engineering school. So I would say that that was sort of the key. Up until that point, I just wanted to be a chemist.

 

Nathaniel T: OK, so you said you studied chemical engineering in college, right? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: Oh yeah, sorry, you were asking about environmental engineering. So it's basically chemical engineering being broad and, you know, having application in [the] environment, you know, especially the water sector. Even the requirements when I applied, you know, for the job was basically you know, chemicals, engineering, and environmental engineering, were sort of interchangeable for that work. So this is also another thing that, you know, people could study in one discipline, but, you know, get in a slightly, you know, different one, and sort of again ending up, you know, liking that and staying. So I think it's, you know, there's a lot of overlap, like I said, chemical engineering has a broad application, so it's not like I strayed too far, but it's again, like seeing what it means to apply some of that knowledge into a field that sort of impacts people's lives. 

 

Nathaniel T: What do you think is something that a high school student can start doing right now to explore your field with chemical engineering or environmental engineering? 

 

Tsega Anbessie: I think it's sort of again some of what I mentioned earlier, is like trying to get exposure, obviously, first to talking with people in different professions, in the STEM field. And trying to actually get practical exposure through shadowing, you know, doing internships or different programs throughout the school year to actually get that, you know, exposure. Because I also liked our program that I mentioned, the medical program, also like we went on tour to like different, I remember going to this pharmaceutical company, I believe [it was] GSK, GlaxoSmithKline. And like, you know, getting exposure to like, you know, what they do, what the QA QC procedures are. So it's like, so just getting there, that was like a brief one, but I think if you managed to do that through either through an internship or some sort of program that, you know, that you can do throughout the school year, I think getting that different exposure. I would start it as early as at least ninth grade, right? It's like the more and, you know, a lot of things have changed and a lot of the technological advances and, you know, it's a lot more easier for I think high school students to choose to get that exposure than maybe it was, you know, when I was in high school. So I think that, picking up skills, which I think again nowadays, it's like, you know, when I was in high school, I had no clue about computer programming, and [the school] registered me for C++, it was required because my school was a STEM school. I was like, “What is this?”, right? But that exposure ended up in helping me and some of my earlier work. So it's like nowadays it's a lot easier, right? Kids can learn coding, you know, from their home without even like, you know, enrolling in any kind of program, so it's like as part of their high school program. So picking up a lot of the skills, because like we're you know, I wasn't trained to be a coder, but I've, you know, I’ve picked up some to be able to do my day-to-day work, you know, do data analysis or things like that. So I think getting that, you know, practical exposure, as [much] as they can throughout their high school year, just to get a sense for like what those careers actually, you know, feel like in action and then getting a lot of skill sets that, you know, you might not need to be, you might not want to be a web designer, but knowing how to design a website can help you in whatever field you choose, right? So it’s just like a lot of skill building, and a lot of that exposure to the practical end of different professions, I think, are key.

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Nathaniel T: So what do you think are some pieces of advice that you have for high school students that have already started working on getting into the field that you're in right now? What do you think [are some] pieces of advice that you would give for the future?
 

Tsega Anbessie: I think it's again, it could be, I don't know, maybe less so these days, because they tend to, I think, especially if you're in a STEM field, the high school programs probably tend to be more challenging, you know, than your average high school. But just sort of getting that hard work, you know, that work ethic, early on, you know, avoiding distractions, and really sort of, you know, getting laser focused on, you know, what you wanna get out of those four years in college or, you know, could be more than that, but at least the initial four years. So it's getting that hard work ethic. Time management is key, right? It's even getting to practice some of the, you know, like, you're gonna be sleeping three, four hours if you're gonna be in an engineering field, right? That's gonna be the maximum amount of sleep you'll get. So getting, you know, getting used to that, getting used to you know, if you're, obviously, when kids are home, they're relying on their parents. So being able to be independent, managing your finances, watching your budget, you know, things like that, doing a lot of things, you know, for yourself that maybe, you know, your parents used to do for you or other family members used to do for you. So I think it's just a whole, because, you know, it could be overwhelming, I think, if people, if kids are, you know, more, sort of awed by being in college and, you know, there's a whole lot of distractions, you know. My school, my friends and I used to get annoyed by, you know, the kids from the school of arts and sciences who always just seem to have time to go on, like, picnics and be, like, you know like, lying around in the grass, and we never had time for that. So it's like, you know, just getting, knowing that, especially in the STEM field, it’s gonna be a lot of work, little sleep, right? A lot of dedication, and challenges, I think, is, and trying to get, you know, that started early on, you know, at least in the last year of high school, is good. Another thing that helped, sort of, you know, get acclimated to that was, I was selected for a program that was in the summer right before college. So, you know, we got, we're able to get exposed to, you know, the environment, get you familiar with, you know, where everything is, and, you know, we took some classes. So just getting into that, you know, that pace before actual school starts also helps. So if there are opportunities in the colleges, I think I probably a lot of the colleges offer these days, then I think it's good to get a head start.

 

Nathaniel T: So, for the last one, what do you wish that somebody might have told you when you were in high school? Whether that be academically or just on your future?

 

Tsega Anbessie: I think it's the same thing I keep coming back to, is that I wish someone told me to get, like, these practical exposures to, or at least more of them than I did, to the like, the different fields. Like, I could think, you know, I could have a picture of what, you know, a chemical engineer or computer science engineer would do, but, like, just like, getting that, I think if someone had told me, or stressed to get that exposure in, like, at least, you know, junior and senior year more than I did, I think it would have been helpful.

 

Nathaniel T: Alright. That's all that I have. Thanks for your time today. 

 

Tsega Anbessie: Yeah, no worries, no problem.