Tucker Adams (BCE 2024)
Tucker Adams (BCE 2024) was the student speaker for his class at the 2024 winter graduation celebration in CEGE. His speech was impressive, as are many things about him.
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Tucker Adams was a non-traditional student. He transferred into CEGE in 2022. He had a wife, 4 kids, a degree in philosophy, and his veteran’s reciprocal tuition benefit. As you might imagine, his decision to come to Minnesota had to be carefully evaluated.
Adams earned his Bachelor of Art in philosophy in 2011. He had worked for about 10 years, served in the army, and gotten married before deciding to go back to school. Having kids had put some things into perspective for him. He wanted to be in a field that would provide work he could feel good about and that would contribute to the betterment of the world for his kids.
He was attracted to civil engineering as it offered a challenge, positive impact, and tangible, valuable work. He started taking classes and got a job at the local university, Murray State University in Kentucky, the state where he grew up. Although neither Adams nor his wife had been to Minnesota before, careful deliberation led them here and to the University of Minnesota to continue his schooling. They wanted to be in a metropolitan area. “Attending a large public university located in a major metropolitan area affords access to a wide variety of people, ideas, and opportunities, and in greater numbers than we would have encountered otherwise.”
They learned that UMN’s civil engineering program had been around a long time and was very well regarded. They liked that although the University was in a large urban area, it was easy to get out into rural Minnesota.
An additional consideration for Adams was the research aspect. “I wanted to attend a school where I could learn from instructors who are leading research projects and learn alongside students who are participating in that research. Being a part of a research-oriented academic community in CEGE has challenged me, and I think it has also provided an enriched learning experience.”
Some of the benefits were not clear until they had made the move. Among them Adams notes, “The networking opportunities available through CEGE are excellent. There are multiple student organizations that host lots of events and visits from industry professionals throughout the semester. And great faculty of course!”
Ultimately, the combination of his veteran’s in-state tuition rates and the University co-operative housing for families made it a compelling financial decision.
His wife enrolled in a creative writing program at Metropolitan State University. They loaded up the four kids and set off.
A place to call study hall
The young family moved to Minnesota in August; Adams started classes in September. That first semester was tough. His wife and three of his four children were starting new schools, too. “We were still moving in. Our youngest turned one that August when we moved here. He’s three years old now and Minnesota is all he has known.”
Adams describes himself as a systems thinker who likes to understand how things work together. “When I first got here, I still did not have a good overview of how some of my courses fit in the program or what I needed to be working on to make it all fit together. Things I could be doing on a daily or weekly basis that would support my long-term goals. Like, what type of internships I should be thinking about, what experience I should be pursuing. You only have a few summers for internships.”
Adams eventually found his groove and found a few places where he could study. “I learned about myself, I can’t just sit in the same place all the time. Now, I have a rotation of places that work for me—quiet enough but not too quiet. I often work at home in the evenings, but not if my kids are awake! On weekends, I come back to campus and get my work done.”
A network of peers
Adams also learned how helpful a network of peers could be. The density of information he was required to learn in engineering was greater than in his previous pursuits. He tells this story of purposefully changing his perspective to think like a team player in his learning.
“Through all my other schooling, I was able to succeed by studying on my own, but I do not think I would be in the same situation I am in now without learning to study with others. I probably could have made it through, but it would have been a whole other up-hill battle. I really benefited from having peers to talk to about problems and homework and to trade notes with from office hours. Once the semester gets moving, it goes pretty fast. Getting different perspectives was very helpful.
“One classmate in particular stands out, Sanley Guerrier. Sanley and I met during my first semester here. It was a tough transition! After the first exam in Dr. Khani’s transportation course, we talked about the test. After that we would talk about different assignments and questions. We had at least one class a semester together. In group work, we both are “on the forward foot,” I would say. I like to immediately take a look at an assignment and get working on it. Sanley is the same way. It is not uncommon for students to wait! So, we gravitated toward each other. Just being an older student, and Sanley is in the same boat, you have to manage your time a little differently.
“I learned to be less shy about asking for help. At first I was a little embarrassed. Now, I’ll just talk to people, and I often find that we have similar questions. We can talk it out, find conceptual linkages, and work through questions together.
“Sanley and I laughed because, for whatever reason, we seemed to have blind spots that were complementary. He’d have a question that he’s been stuck on and I’ll walk in and see the solution right away. And same thing, he sees things that I get stuck on. We seem to work together really well.
“Having different people looking at a problem, having a team of people to work through a theory and learn from and alongside, that’s been really helpful. It was not something I thought would be important. I have always kind of done my own work and not had any issues with workload or comprehension. But it has made life much more pleasant to work as part of a team!”
HDR
Adams is now working as a Highway Engineer in Training at HDR. He had an internship with HDR while in Kentucky and maintained those relationships.
It was not an uninterrupted path, however. He started working with HDR in their water resources group and thought he would go into water. At UMN, he interned with Stantec as part of their community development group, mostly with their Construction Management field group in Chaska, which he enjoyed. Then he took classes in transit, and found that interested him. He also took a Transit Planning and Management class through the Humphrey School that was cross-listed with CEGE, and he loved that class, too. It seems clear that Adams is interested in many things and is open to learning.
“Even though I have had to work really hard, I have learned a lot. I feel a sense of accomplishment having made it through the CivE program. I’ve met some great people. I have a great family, and they bring me joy. I’m a pretty happy guy generally. I think having something to do makes me happy.”
Adams will have plenty to do after graduation. In addition to working at HDR, he started a part-time MBA program in the Carlson School of Management at UMN in January.