Influential Woman · Structural engineering

Usha Pant

Staff Engineer, Bennett & Pless, Inc.

Atlanta, GA

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's in Civil Engineering Degree Idaho State University Degree Master's in Civil Engineering Degree A Levels Degree Cambridge University affiliated Member Tau Beta Pi

Her Story

About Usha

I'm originally from Nepal, a country in South Asia. I came to the U.S. in 2017 when I just turned 18 to pursue my bachelor's degree, because I always wanted to study abroad to get wider knowledge and also be more independent. I chose Idaho State University because they were offering me scholarship and the civil engineering course was really interesting for me. I actually graduated in 3 years from my bachelor's, and then decided to do my master's, graduating in 2020. I started my professional career in January 2022 at Uzin and Case in Atlanta, where I worked on structural buildings, residential houses, and tall buildings. I used to design and create 3D models for buildings and design beams and structural elements like footings, RC beams, foundations, and base frames. After almost one and a half years, I moved to my current company in 2023. Now I work on data centers and warehouse projects, designing steel beams, columns, foundations, and typical structural design while communicating with clients. In almost 3 years at this company, I've had the chance to work on different types of projects and quickly learned to be efficient. My most notable professional achievement so far is working on these different types of projects within the company and becoming proficient across them.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Usha

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say that this is a hard field, so you need to make up your mind if you want to choose this field, because one, it's a lot of work. Every project requires lots of detail-oriented knowledge, and you need to be - you can't take breaks, especially if you are in the early start of your career. So I would just suggest them to be sure that this is what they really want to do. And also be confident, because it's a male-dominated field, so you need to be confident about yourself and what you bring to the table. Keep on learning, because every project is different, so you need to be a learner throughout your career or job.

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