Celebrating Our Sheroes: Miaomiao Zhang

In recognition of International Women’s Day, we’re excited to share the final installment of our series celebrating the stories of just a few of the amazing women whose work and accomplishments help make our company successful!

How did you find yourself on this career path?  I pursued an Environmental Engineering degree for my undergrad in China and earned my master’s degree from the University of Washington. When I was a student, I was curious and amazed to learn how water is cleaned for safe drinking or how wastewater is treated using various physical, chemical, or biological principles. Upon graduation and at the start of my career, I felt pride in being part of real engineering solutions and contributing to the effort to protect public health. At the same time, I realized there was so much knowledge and so many skills I still needed to grasp. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to continually grow by staying curious and incorporating learning into all my projects, which pushes me to develop better solutions.

What is the most rewarding part of what you do? The most rewarding part of my job is solving problems, whether it’s working with the team to tackle the technical issues or helping clients with the operational or regulatory challenges at their facilities.

What is something you’ve done in your career that you’re proud of? I am proud of being a member of the company’s technical services team. We develop the firm’s technical standards, mentor junior professionals and help assure quality in every project’s delivery.

What advice do you have for young girls and women who are interested in your field? In a group setting when you are hesitant and wondering whether you should speak up, or ask “dumb” questions, just do it. That is how you push yourself to develop thinking, speaking, and problem-solving skills. And oftentimes, surprisingly, you will find out you are not the only one who did not know the answer.