| With two uncles in the
construction business, Leo Morand has long known
his career calling. He turned to Rose Hulman for the keys
to realize those dreams after attending the institute's
summer Operation Catapult program.
"That solidified my interest that I would be
an engineer and would go to Rose-Hulman," he says.
Morand earned a civil engineering degree in
2002, and a decade later is just as committed to construction
and Rose-Hulman. The construction part comes through designing
roadway and public utility projects for Gewalt
Hamilton Associates in Illinois.
Those responsibilities go quite a bit deeper
than the physical design of the projects for communities and
school districts. He's also an integral part of the
strategic planning and background work that make publicly
financed projects possible. "I assist
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them with obtaining federal funds and
planning future improvements," Morand says. Public funds
don't grow on trees and accountability is critical.
"You're seeing more people trying to plan and stretch
dollars more, and people want to be sure their dollars are
being spent appropriately," he says.
Because the work goes far beyond the drawing
board, Morand's skills go well beyond engineering. "I
think the communication side is extremely important," he
says. The good thing is, "Rose-Hulman does a great job
teaching you to communicate."
That's one of the things he tells students
and parents while representing Rose-Hulman at college fairs.
He is about as dedicated an ambassador for the institute
as you'll find anywhere, serving on the Young Alumni Council
and directing talented prospects (including siblings) to
attend Rose-Hulman.
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Morand, in fact, sees
communications as something Rose-Hulman should continue
to expand, not only to students, but also in outreach to
alumni and other supporters.
Away from work, he's a new parent, which
understandably takes up a lot of free time. He's been active
in a lot of ways, including serving on the
committee that's planning a multipurpose facility for his
church, and working with Habitat for Humanity. It seems that
he's a builder even away from work, and he's thankful to
have entered life after college with the confidence that comes
from completing a rigorous Rose-Hulman education. "If
you have this down, you can do anything."
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