Nicholas Rainear

Degree

B.S. in Construction Engineering and Management

Why did you choose Virginia Tech?

"My biggest influence for choosing to go to Virginia Tech comes from my dad who also went here. I grew up watching the football and basketball games with him back home, and as I grew up, Virginia Tech turned into my dream school. After seeing the awesome engineering program and the 'good vibes' on campus, I felt called to go here, and I haven't regretted since."

Why did you choose Construction Engineering and Management?

"When I first got to Virginia Tech, I was planning to study Civil Engineering. However, I learned about CEM my freshman year and began looking into that more. After talking to a VT graduate, who has a Bachelor's degree in CEM and master's degre in civil engineering, I found that Construction Engineering is a better fit for me since I was invested in construction. At the end of my freshman spring semester, I decided to switch majors into CEM."

Career Goals

"After getting some experience in the Construction field in the future, me and four of my friends from VT's Catholic Campus ministry and MLSoC want to start a faith-based construction company. This is a new idea, so I don't have all the answers for how it's going to work out now, but through this we want to specialize in construction for churches, buildings for housing, assisting areas struck by natural disasters, and perform work with the Knights of Columbus (a Catholic Fraternal Organization). Most importantly, we want to create a special kind of culture where we can work together in finding special ways to serve God."

What would you tell students who are interested in joining MLSoC?

"Getting a feel for college life before college can be a bit difficult, so it might be helpful to talk as many MLSoC students as you can. Asking what they like and don't like about the school and construction may help you get a small grasp of what the program can offer you. As time goes on, you should eventually find out if the program is the right fit, but for now, if you're not sure that's totally okay. Hardly anyone in college who knows what they want to do when they first get here."