Patricia Quintela

Patricia Quintela is the daughter of Cuban immigrants who earned their degrees at FIU. She followed in her father’s footsteps by pursuing a degree in civil engineering and is graduating at the age of 19.  

Growing up, Patricia would participate in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, where she’d learn about her father’s job in the Florida Department of Transportation. Patricia excelled at math and science. In 7^th grade, she took 9^th-grade math courses. In 11^th grade, she transferred to the School for Advanced Studies, where she took dual-enrollment and AP classes, all counting as college credits. In 12^th grade, Patricia transferred to FIU’s Early Admissions program. By the time she graduated from high school, Patricia had completed half of the civil engineering curriculum.

Patricia was recognized for her achievements with FIU’s National Hispanic Scholar Scholarship, fully covering her tuition, room and board. She credits engineering professors Ramon Sierra, Cora Martinez and Ton-Lo Wang with helping her acquire the knowledge needed to become a well-rounded transportation engineer.

Patricia completed two internships. Her first was at Jacobs Engineering Group, where she took part in an Okeechobee Road reconstruction project. She also interned at Gannet Fleming as a transportation designer.

Gannet Fleming offered Patricia a full-time position, which she has accepted. She will be creating roadway designs to improve Miami’s infrastructure. Patricia is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and, has already passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first step towards becoming a professional licensed engineer.

By Diana Hernandez-Alende
Account Manager
College of Engineering & Computing