Today we spotlight one of our members that started out as a student and now sits on the national MCAA Career Development Committee!
Meet Sabrina Pavlova with Spring Field Engineering Company (SECO) in Springfield, MO. Sabrina first joined the industry as a student at Missouri State University as part of our career development initiative. After graduating in 2022 with a Construction Management degree she began her internship with SECO and transitioned to a full-time position with them after graduation.
For Sabrina it was more of a who, than a what, that brought her to the industry. One of her undergrad professors, Jacob Nelson, got her involved in the MCAA Student Competition one year. The competition piqued her interest in the mechanical industry and MCAA. “The coolest thing I’ve been involved in with the industry has been the MCAA Student Competition. Through the competition, I had the opportunity to travel, meet new people, and learn about exciting projects happening across the United States,” shared Sabrina. Jacob continued to mentor her and assisted her with locking in an internship with SECO.
Sabrina’s story continues to inspire as she has come full circle and now sits on the MCAA’s National Career Development Committee. “It is such an honor to be a part of a national committee. It all happened so fast, I’m still in shock a little bit,” Sabrina shared in addition to some advice for any student or female hoping to one day sit on a committee; “Make sure you get involved as much as possible. Make sure you take every opportunity to network with others and get your name out there. It is a very small world, and you never know when someone you’ve met could help you reach your goals”.
When asked what she loves about the industry, Sabrina shared; “I love the mechanical industry because we bring comfort and ease to people’s lives. Our work is often times disregarded, hidden behind walls and above ceilings, but without the systems we install and maintain, people would still be using outhouses and fetching water in buckets. Not to mention the importance of piping systems in life preservation (hospitals & clinics) or food/medicine production (manufacturing facilities).”
Sabrina urges females entering the industry to not be intimidated. “The guys try to be intimidating and impress you with their knowledge, but there’s no need to feel inferior. We all start somewhere and most of them are just trying to figure out where you are to know how to meet you in the middle.”
Be sure to join us in Nashville June 12–14, 2023 at the 3rd annual Women in the Mechanical Industry Conference.
