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(12/11/07) Hi everybody! My name is Jessica Mauricio and I graduated in May 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. It is nice to see that my hard work at St. Edward’s University gave me the resources I needed to become a competitive employee in the field of Environmental Science. Currently I am employed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
My new career at TCEQ seems to have been years in the making. My job requires technical writing, reviewing technical documents, public speaking, customer service as well as creativity. I know that many of these traits were greatly enhanced by my experiences at St. Edward’s. Throughout my years in college I spent my time in a variety of academic clubs and organizations. These included Women in Science, St. Edward’s Fellows, and the Academy of Science. I also worked part-time jobs while attending school. One semester stands out in my mind as pretty tough. I’m sure many other students can relate to my situation. I had three part-time jobs on top of all of my science classes which included two labs. It was difficult, I was tired, but I did it. I knew I had to push through in order to better myself as a person and as a job applicant. If I could do it, so can you!
It’s always a little scary when you make the transition from college student to an adult with a career. If you are feeling a little anxious please do not worry. It is normal and you have plenty of resources available to help you at St. Edward’s. I had many questions about what path I should take and I had plenty of help from SEU staff and faculty. Never be afraid to ask questions or seek out guidance. You must take a chance in order to make a change for the better. The Career Planning office has helped many students attain internships as well as jobs. I would highly recommend contacting them the semester before you graduate, if not sooner!
I’ll go ahead and tell you a little bit about how I got the job I have now and what I do. In my last semester of college I enrolled for my Capstone course. As you all know the Capstone paper is quite massive, and a wide variety of information is needed in order to sufficiently write a well-rounded paper. I went to TCEQ to meet with a woman who worked with water quality monitoring. I wanted to write my paper on antibiotics in the water systems. Laurie, the woman I met, was very kind and gave me many recommendations and resources. I ended up writing the paper on a different topic, because I needed more resources on antibiotics in water which is a fairly new and under-researched topic. Regardless, I left my meeting with Laurie knowing that TCEQ was a very interesting agency. I continued with my semester studies and found myself wondering what I would do for a job once I graduated. Then, out of the blue Laurie called me! She wanted to know if I would like to be an intern at TCEQ! I said that I would love to and she scheduled an interview.
I really enjoyed my internship at TCEQ. My job was to help write an annual report: Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution in Texas. The Nonpoint Source Report details specific projects throughout Texas that are helping to ensure that future generations have healthy water resources. This report is submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency each year and it is also given to senators, congressmen, and the public.
I think it’s really awesome that I like my job so much. I feel really lucky. Right now I help regulate and remediate hazardous waste. Some types of hazardous materials that I deal with are petroleum based contamination and dry cleaning solvent contamination. There are many gas stations around Texas. If there is a leak at one of the gas stations, either I or someone in my division must make sure that the appropriate actions are taken to protect people, animals, and the environment from harm. There are also plenty of dry cleaners in Texas. The solvent (cleaner) that they use is very harmful if it is not used appropriately or if the waste is not disposed of legally. The dry cleaning solvents, also called chlorinated solvents, are very heavy molecules that can go right through concrete without leaving a mark and they end up in the soil and groundwater! As such, it can cause a lot of harm to the environment as well as to people nearby and it definitely needs to be regulated.
I do feel that my employment at TCEQ is actually making the world a better place. I get on-the-job training and excellent benefits as well. My job responsibilities are diverse and I learn something new every day. I deal with a wide variety of situations. For example, I recently gave a presentation to about 40 of my co-workers. I was really glad I took Presentational Speaking at St. Edward’s. All in all, I must say that my time at St. Edward’s University has enabled me to make a positive impact in the world. I do not think that I could have come as far as I have without the encouragement and support of those employed by St. Edward’s University.
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