I like getting to meet people from all around the world.
Growing up in Nigeria, Oluwatomiwa Thomas knew from an early age that he wanted to be a civil engineer like his father. Getting to see the infrastructure projects his father worked on “is what inspired me to do engineering,” he says. He also heard good things about UMD, and the Clark School in particular, from his two sisters, who both got Master’s degrees in Real Estate Development from UMD. When he decided to pursue his Associate’s degree at Prince George’s Community College, Olu did so with the plan to transfer to UMD’s Civil and Environmental Department. He did so in Spring 2022, after receiving his Associate’s in General Engineering.
Participating in UMD’s MTAP program made the transfer process easier for Tomiwa. There were still challenges, however, as the Covid pandemic meant he had to go through the transfer process and orientation remotely.
Tomiwa is now a Senior in the Transportation/ Project Management track. One of the highlights of his time in the department has been working as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Cirillo this past summer. They were working on an MDOT project on pedestrian safety. He says that “it was eye-opening and interesting to work with grad students,” and to see how MDOT and the State Highway Administration work. The researchers conducted an experiment on campus installing smart cameras in crowded places to see which camera has the best detection system.
Tomiwa is a member of ASCE, and last year worked on the Concrete Canoe team. In his spare time, he likes to play board games, soccer, and ping pong. His favorite thing about being a CEE major at UMD is “getting to meet people from all around the world,” he says. “CEE is very diverse.” He has also enjoyed working on projects like his capstone project for ENCE467.
Tomiwa’s advice to other students transferring to UMD from community colleges is “Don’t stay in your shell. It can feel isolating at first.” He recommends joining organizations like ASCE to get to know people, and reaching out to advisors for help. “Above all, do not try to solve your problems all by yourself,” he says.
After graduating this May 2025, Tomiwa’s will take the F.E. and then start working as a Geotechnical Staff Engineer for Engineering Consultant Services (ECS). With the knowledge and skills he’s gained at UMD, he will continue into a new stage of the journey he decided on many years ago.
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