Practitioner Spotlight--Hannah Mishriki

Name:

Hannah Mishriki

Office:

Loveland, CO

Practice Area:

Environmental liability management

Area(s) of expertise:

Remediation systems engineering, design, operation, and maintenance

About Me in 140 Characters:

I have a degree in environmental engineering, but I got my PE in civil engineering with a focus in water resources. I like to make cheese, I like going hiking, backpacking, and camping. I’m an outdoorsy person and the only unique thing about me is that I make cheese—mozzarella, Montego, cheddar, queso fresco are some that I’ve made.

Favorite Thing about Being an environmental liability management Practitioner:

I genuinely feel like I’m making a difference (most days). Remediation work is really rewarding to me, because I can see the progress of a site that was dirty and contaminated and follow it through to the end, where I can see the outcome of everything being happy and clean.

What trends do you see in your practice area?

I’ve noticed that in situ remediation—where everything happens in the ground—is becoming more and more common. It’s a little sad for me, since there aren’t as many mechanical systems, which is my area of experience.

What are some of your favorite tools/resources for professional development in this practice area?

The other people in the company. I think that I’ve learned the most through working with people who have more experience and knowledge in different areas. If it weren’t for them and their different expertise, I don’t think I would know anything I know today. I got out of college and came to work here, and I realized a lot of what I learned in college wasn’t as useful. My new teachers became everyone at Antea Group.

What area(s) of environmental liability management are you most interested in? Why?

I think working on remediation systems is the most interesting. Why? Because I’m an engineer. When I have to design and install and operate one of these systems, I get to experience civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering—which are areas that I didn’t think I would know anything about, originally. I think it’s a really well-rounded area to work in as an engineer. Working with other people with varying expertise, like geologists and hydrogeologists to help you understand what’s happening, is really cool.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I was just at a recruiting event, and many people asked, “Why did you stay with Antea Group?” They wanted to know, especially because it’s been the only place I’ve worked after college, and I always answer, “The people.” No matter which office I’ve interacted with, everybody seems to get along, and it makes coming to work better.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a doctor. I come from a family of doctors, and I thought it seemed really rewarding to help people. During a high school pre-med summer program, I came to the realization that sometimes being a doctor is a fruitless pursuit and that it can be very taxing. I still wanted to help people, though. When I took a class about risk in college and the professor said, “The point of being an environmental professional is to save whole communities,” I knew it was the right career for me. I think environmental consulting is helping people.

If you had one month off, where would you go or what would you do?

I would go backpacking in Patagonia and South America.

What is on the top of your bucket list?

The top of my bucket list is to have a decent-sized hobby farm—miniature donkeys, llamas, alpacas, you name it.

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