In the Spotlight- Katheryn Capone, '17
Spring 2017

Katheryn Capone, a master of time management, is a hardworking student part of CIV's second graduating class.We are thankful that she communicated her experience to us and we wish her an amazing senior year!  

How have you juggled your academic life with your personal life? 

While attending Stony Brook I have had to face adversity in many ways, which sometimes makes it difficult to separate my personal life from my academic life. I feel the most helpful skill I’ve come to master is time management. Life will always try and get in the way of the plan that we set for ourselves, and I believe that I made it this far because of determination and perseverance.

What have been some biggest challenges you faced while at Stony Brook and what did you do to help yourself stay motivated in the program or with your school work?

The biggest challenge I face while attending Stony Brook is balancing my schoolwork, my hours of employment, and helping my family. My youngest brother passed away when he was ten, my oldest brother is autistic and my younger brother is diagnosed with Stargardt disease and he is slowly going blind. Since my parents are divorced and my father suffers from Muscular Dystrophy, I have to help my parents with certain things and adjust my schedule to be as beneficial to my family as I can, while maintaining my GPA and creating an income for myself. My family as well as Professor Giles, are definitely the biggest motivations I have for staying in the Civil Engineering program even when life becomes difficult, or when I did not feel that my intelligence was enough to make me successful in this program.

What suggestions do you have for students who are looking to improve their time management skills? Are there any other hobbies or extracurricular activities that you are passionate about?

Time management is a skill that is refined through practice. I suggest that anyone who wants to improve their time management skills never wait until the last minute, or even the last day to complete a project. Life is unpredictable and my mother always taught me to never put off for tomorrow what can be done today. I rarely make exceptions for this rule and it has served me very well. In the rare instances when I find any free time I am extremely passionate about reading, playing my violin, and watching hockey.

What influenced you to choose Civil Engineering at Stony Brook? Were you always set on pursuing Civil Engineering as a major?

Since high school I was very adamant on attending Stony Brook University, and it was actually my high school AP physics teacher who suggested Civil Engineering to me after I placed 8th in a bridge building competition at the Brookhaven Nation Laboratory. I always preferred math and science classes to English and history, so I thought that engineering was a great path to try. I became more passionate about my area of study after starting college at Stony Brook and continuing on the path toward graduation.

Looking back, what was your favorite CIV class and why?

Looking back I have to say that my favorite CIV class at Stony Brook was CIV 426 with Dr. Mao. Even though the class required a lot of work and dedication, it was extremely interesting. We were able to go on a field trip to a waste water treatment plant, and I feel that I have obtained a wealth of knowledge that will be useful to me throughout my life.

What are your plans after graduation? Do you have any specific goals for the next year?

I am hoping that after graduation I can either attend Stony Brook’s graduate program and receive my Master’s degree, or if not I can get a job and start on a career in Civil Engineering, preferably in water treatment.