From playbook to blueprint | UWA
From playbook to blueprint | UWA
https://www.uwa.edu/news/from-playbook-to-blueprint/
Publish Date: 2026-05-04 10:34:00
Source Domain: www.uwa.edu
Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
UWA engineering technology major turns lessons from the field into a future in construction
For Owen Vander Wal, the past year has blurred the line between football and the job site. Being coachable on the field, he’s found, translates directly to the workplace—a lesson he’ll put to the test this summer.
Building on the experience he gained during last summer’s internship at Smurfit Westrock folding carton plant in Eutaw, Vander Wal decided to pursue a new challenge in civil construction engineering. He’ll get that opportunity in June through a postgraduate internship with Brasfield & Gorrie, based in Birmingham.
His internship with Brasfield & Gorrie is guaranteed for at least six months and is designed to help determine where he fits best within the company, particularly as he continues building his construction experience.
Engineering Technology students do plenty of hands-on work, but for Vander Wal, seeing projects move from paper to reality was eye-opening.
“We do a lot of AutoCAD work at UWA,” he said, “but when I saw how that was used at Westrock—I saw the real-world connection for the first time.”
That opportunity is a long way from where he started just a few years ago. Although football brought him from Fairhope to Livingston, Vander Wal said he nearly transferred after his freshman year. Looking back, he’s glad he stayed.
“I know everyone says, ‘There’s something about this place,’” he said, “and it really has been true for me.”
That sense of connection has carried over into the classroom.
For his senior capstone project, Vander Wal and fellow seniors Sabino Galvan, Alexis Davis, and Kasey Coleman found another way to apply their skills: converting a mountain bike into an e-bike.
“We started talking about how far the Engineering Technology building is from the rest of campus, especially the Math & Science building,” he said, “and we…
