Joseph and Peggy McMahon Transportation Engineering Scholarship Awarded in 2020 to Alexis Withers – University of Delaware Civil Engineering Student

FORT WASHINGTON, PA– McMahon Associates, Inc., a transportation engineering and planning firm, today announced that Alexis Withers, a University of Delaware graduating senior majoring in Civil Engineering, is the 2020 recipient of the Joseph and Peggy McMahon Transportation Engineering Scholarship, as competitively selected through the Berks County Community Foundation. In the summer of 2020, Alexis will be continuing her educational pursuits to obtain a Master’s in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Transportation.

As an undergraduate at the University of Delaware (UD) in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Alexis has maintained academic excellence pursuing a transportation-focused engineering curriculum that was further enhanced by a study abroad program in Melbourne, Australia to broaden her transportation knowledge. Alexis also participated in traffic engineering internships with two firms where she received real-world experience that included working on Delaware’s ongoing Horizontal Curve Project and Wrong Way Prevention Study.

Alexis is extraordinarily active in engineering professional societies. Currently, she is the President of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) – University of Delaware Chapter and has been active as Torch Chair and Vice President. She volunteers in the Ambassadors for Civil Engineering Students (ACES) program to give tours to prospective students, and participated in panel discussions to promote women in engineering. Additionally, Alexis is a member of Resources to Inspire Successful Engineers (RISE) Executive Board, Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Alexis’ volunteerism, or “Gives Back,” initiatives have included NSBE’s Pre-College Initiative FAME Program where she educated 9-12^th graders about engineering to encourage entrance into a STEM field. For UD’s 2020 E-week, Alexis received an award for her accomplishments as Lead Engineer for planning the week of festivities.

“Alexis is a well-rounded student committed to her professional goals while giving back to her community. She has a strong academic record, and has held engineering internships along with holding a job in the Registrar’s office, while at the same time rising to be a student leader at the University and within the Engineering program,” said Sue McNeil, Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware. “She has demonstrated her interest and commitment to transportation engineering, and while studying abroad in 2019 in Australia was enthusiastic about seeing and experiencing different modes and configurations of transportation systems. She is a very worthy recipient of this scholarship.”

“After building a bridge out of toothpicks and marshmallows in fourth grade, I knew I wanted to be a Civil Engineer,” said Alexis Withers, Civil Engineering student – University of Delaware and scholarship recipient. “During my undergraduate studies I have amassed a wealth of experience in transportation-related coursework, and incorporated two-years of real-world internship experience with engineering firms. After studying abroad, I knew I wanted to be a Transportation Engineer. I am elated to receive this important scholarship as it will enable me to further pursue this career path as I move into post-graduate studies for my Master’s.”

“Alexis was a remarkable, stand-out candidate as we reviewed this year’s submissions,” said Joseph McMahon, P.E., Founder of McMahon. “Her academic record, internships and broad participation in engineering student societies illustrated her strong commitment to becoming an asset to the transportation engineering profession. Her enthusiasm for learning the inner workings of transportation systems around the world, along with her selfless volunteerism to promote our profession made her the strongest candidate for this year’s scholarship. Peggy and I are proud to support Alexis’ transportation engineering pursuits.”

The Joseph and Peggy McMahon Transportation Engineering scholarship was created by the Board of Directors of McMahon Associates in tribute to the firm’s founder Joseph McMahon, and his wife, Peggy McMahon. The couple established McMahon in 1976 with a “Pay It Forward” dedication at its core, and this scholarship fund preserves their legacy and promotes that commitment into the future to support new engineering generations. The fund, established through the Berks County Community Foundation, provides scholarships to students who have declared, and have been accepted into, the major of civil engineering with a focus on transportation engineering. For more information, interested and qualified students should go to https://bccf.org/scholarships/joseph-peggy-mcmahon-transportation-engineering-scholarship-fund.

About McMahon Associates, Inc.

Since 1976, McMahon Associates, Inc. has specialized in delivering innovative engineering, planning, design and technological transportation solutions to our clients.  We have built trusting and lasting relationships by satisfying, and often surpassing, the needs of both governmental and private sector clients. We provide services for transportation projects from planning, to design and permitting, through construction.  With more than 200 dedicated professionals in 15 offices along the East Coast, McMahon has the talent, ability and expertise to address any transportation assignment. For more information visit www.mcmahonassociates.com.