Shayla Lewey of Pulaski graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin in May 2024, but this eventual success didn’t come without challenges.
During Lewey’s second semester in college all classes were moved online because of COVID-19. Challenging classes resulted in a grade-point-average drop, and she did not pass her Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first of two exams engineers must pass in order to be licensed as a professional engineer in the United States.
Despite the setbacks, Lewey never gave up on her dream to become a civil engineer. After negotiating many challenges, she reached a personal turning point, which she mainly attributes to her faculty members. They never gave up on her, so she never gave up on herself.
“Dr. Witmer is one of those people that I could cry talking about him. He was the first person I ran to when I failed my Fundamentals of Engineering test and the first person I told when I passed,” said Lewey. Ray Witmer is a professor of engineering.
Her faculty members encouraged and pushed her daily by insisting she follow her dreams, making classes interesting, and treating her like one of their own. In addition to Dr. Witmer, Lewey contributes her success to several faculty members, including Dr. Tim Nipp, Dr. Eatedal Alqusaireen and Dr. Mohammad Obadat.
“Those four professors have really shaped me into who I am as a person and now as an engineer, so I really love my professors if you can’t tell,” Lewey said.
Lewey is also grateful to her parents, Bill and Cynthia Lewey, for standing with her, encouraging her and never giving up on her. “I really appreciate them, and I know they did a lot for me,” said Lewey.
Although Lewey never thought she would be working on roads, she is now a civil engineer at Kimley-Horn, an international engineering firm with an office in Franklin, Tennessee. Here, Lewey is hard at work on traffic operations and roadway design.
Lewey has worked in the real world since July. Every day, she uses skills that she learned at UT Martin. Her supervisors are impressed with the skills she learned from the engineering faculty.
A degree isn’t the only dream Shayla gained while at UT Martin. She also met her fiancé, Colton Dowell, UTM football standout and current Tennessee Titans football player. The two are set to exchange vows in June 2025.
Photo ID (l to r): Shayla’s parents, Bill and Cynthia Lewey, Shayla and Shayla’s fiancé, Colton Dowell
