Meet Camille Sowells
Getting to Houston
I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. I lived and worked in Orlando, Florida for six years right out of college. When I decided it was time to move, honestly, I was aiming for Dallas but ended up in Houston. That was 22 years ago, and I've been in Houston ever since. I love it here, no snow, good climate, good people. Getting used to the traffic was ridiculous. Then I figured out I had to look at my drive like it was my de-stress time, maybe time to listen to some jazz, catch up with family and just relax.
Anniversaries and September 11th
So, on September 11th, 2001, I was interviewing for a new job, and I remember driving in and listening to the radio. And, they said a plane had hit one of the towers. In my mind, I couldn’t wrap my head around what had happened. I thought that maybe a plane hit the tower but the tower was still standing and the plane might have crashed to the ground. But, when I saw the pictures on TV, it was unreal, horrific. It was such a bad day for our country, just so tragic and sad. I was at that job for 10 years, and then in September 2011, I decided it was time for a change. And now, I've been in my current position for almost 10 years. So, September 11 is a date I remember for not only what happened in New York but because of work anniversaries from that point on.
Not too long ago, I took my kids to New York for vacation. They've always wanted to go. And I realized that I had just worked and worked, and we hadn't taken any family vacations. At the time, my son was about to graduate from high school, and I went into this frenzy of wanting to create some memories. So, we planned a trip and while we were there went to the 9/11 Memorial. Seeing the scope and scale of it is incredibly sobering. It was an impactful moment, not only for me but for my kids too.
Engineering
I often get asked about how I became an engineer. It’s funny because not once in high school did I think about engineering as a career. No one knows what engineers really do, and there are so many different kinds. I had it in my mind that I wanted to be a math teacher because I was good at math and science. Fortunately, my high school guidance counselor (I wish I could recall his name because he is the reason that I'm an engineer) looked at my test scores and said, “No, you need to go to school for engineering.” I applied to the school I wanted to go to and was accepted, but they offered zero financial aid. My mom was a single parent, and we couldn’t afford the tuition. So, my counselor helped me get a scholarship to his alma mater. I didn't graduate from there, but it got me started. On the first day, when I registered and was asked what my major was, I said engineering! I took an electrical engineering class and a mechanical class, and none of it made sense until I got to the class on water. And then, it just clicked. So, from that point on I thought “clearly I’m a civil engineer”. And, that’s how it happened. Because of him, I'm not a math teacher. I'm thankful to him because I know now that I couldn't teach kids all day, that's not my gift at all. Civil engineering and Houston are where I’m supposed to be.
