Jenny Haney

When looking for a job, Jenny Haney '17 found her sustainability designation was particularly interesting to employers.

Current role: PAE Consulting Engineers in Seattle, WA

How were topics like faith, creation care, international and social justice incorporated into your learning?
I valued my education at Calvin because of the professors I studied under. My professors never shied away from the contemporary and social issues facing the times we were studying in. The integration of faith and engineering was a thread that ran through all four years of my education. Together as an engineering class we wrestled with the concepts of creation care in an industrial society, engineering ethics in a socially corrupt world, and what it truly means and looks like to be a Christian engineer. These were not uncommon discussions and my engineering education was shaped by thinking deeply about the significance of each calculated number and not just how to get it.

What’s one thing you would want to tell someone starting their journey at Calvin?
Engineering will test your limits, but it’s worth it. You control your college experience. Build real relationships with your professors. Struggle together. You will remember those late nights in the engineering building not because of the thermodynamics homework but because of the relationships built with those working around you. But don’t just stay in the science and engineering building, get to know the brilliant thinkers in the GEO lounge, Hiemenga Hall, the Fish House, the Fieldhouse, or wherever you choose to branch out, because these people look at creation through a different lens that is just as crucial to your success in being an equipped agent of renewal. Learn to listen. Discover what you’re passionate about and pursue it fearlessly. Choose joy. And travel as much as possible!

What about Calvin specifically prepared you for this next step in your journey?
The engineering job I landed post-grad was a direct result of the blend of my liberal arts courses and engineering courses, and more specifically my sustainability designation. As context, PAE is a consulting firm that designs high-performing buildings with a focus on energy efficiency; people and nature are the company’s driving forces. It’s my dream job, on paper. When I interviewed for my position they had never heard of a sustainability designation and were intrigued by the unique skillset I could bring. I suddenly wasn’t just another aspiring mechanical engineer who wanted to work for their company, but I was a mechanical engineer who was readily equipped with the tools that complemented the company’s mission. Calvin provided me with a rigorous engineering education paired with a unique liberal arts education that equipped me and set me apart from other candidates with every job I applied for.

How has your faith grown at Calvin?
During my four years at Calvin, God has grown me in ways only he could orchestrate. He surrounded me with brilliant friends and professors from all different backgrounds who challenged me to think deeply about hard topics and pursue the call to action that we have as members of Christ’s body. Calvin takes the role of the Church very seriously, and because of that I often wrestled with my role in this broken world. But God, using opportunities at Calvin, continued to provide avenues for me to explore my so-called vocation. As I leave Calvin, I leave with more questions for my Creator than there are answers on this earth, though paired with a much deeper-rooted faith and faith-community than I ever had going in.