Since he was a child, Joshua McCants has been inspired by architecture. He
grew up close to Washington, D.C., surrounded by some of the most
recognizable and uniquely designed buildings in the country. As a kid, he
originally wanted to be a construction worker, but found that his
predilection for math and science made him a good candidate to study
engineering. His suspicion wound up being correct, and now at the end of his
college career, he will be graduating through Drexel’s dual-degree program
with a bachelor's in architectural engineering and a master's in civil
engineering.
Drexel BS/MS students earn two degrees in just five years, with three co-ops
to gain experience before graduation. McCants spent his co-ops in
construction and contracting, as well as working for a global engineering
solutions firm.
But with each experience, he was able to build on previous knowledge.
“At my first co-op I learned how to read and understand drawings, my
second co-op I learned some fundamental drafting and nomenclature
standards, and my third co-op I learned a lot of standard calculations
and design procedures for varying structures,” he said.
McCants’ fondest Drexel memories center around being an Intramural (IM)
sports official. IM officials are responsible for the day-to-day operations
of various sports such as soccer, volleyball and basketball. In order to
work in this position, students must understand the basic rules of a
plethora of sports, set up and run games, and even administer first aid.
McCants’ favorite sports to officiate were flag football and men’s
basketball. “Those are the sports I resonate with the most, and I had some
pretty good friends of mine playing on the team,” he said, so he was able to
joke around with his friends during games. “The biggest thing I took away
from being a supervisor was communication. I communicated with many
different groups of people with diverse backgrounds, and it was important
that I learned how to build relationships and connect with each person.”
Communication is also playing a role in McCants’ senior design project. He
is part of a team of students working with THA Consulting in Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania, to design a parking garage with over 1,000 parking spaces as
well as retail spaces on the ground level. The graduate-level courses he’s
taking for his master’s, he says, have been a huge help in completing this
project, which has been “very structurally challenging,” he said. The final
product will be built in Bethlehem.
After graduation, McCants will be employed full time as an Engineer in
Training at Thornton Tomasetti’s Philadelphia office while he works on
professional certifications. He continues to draw inspiration from the
office buildings in his hometown, particularly the the office buildings in
and around K street, a lobbying hub lined with modern glass buildings with
lots of exposed structuring.
Being “thrown in the fire” with co-op experiences and senior design, he
says, is what makes earning his degree a great learning experience. “I think
Drexel’s fast paced quarter schedule and cooperative learning requirement
taught me to never stop working and grinding,” he says. “I also think that
here at Drexel if you apply yourself, many doors can be opened for you to
start a solid future.”