- Being an environmental engineer is so much fun, because I can go out into nature each and every day for work.

- Hi, my name's Rylee and I'm on a mission to talk to as many engineers as I can to find out what makes their jobs so exciting.

Today I'm talking to an engineer who loves fishing and protecting the world's water.

I wanna find out how she helps the environment and how she engineered her future.

Ready?

Let's go.

Hi Jasmine.

- Hi Rylee.

- So I hear you play an important role in our environment and keeping the water safe.

- Yes, I love the environment and I love nature, so I love keeping it clean and doing what I can to save it.

- Who helped you fall in love with nature?

- [Jasmine] Me and my dad, we used to fish all the time, every Sunday actually and there I was able to gather appreciation for the environment and all the animals within it.

So translating that into my academics, I wanted to learn more about nature, so I decided to take up environmental engineering.

- That is so cool.

Your dad pretty much helped you fall in love with engineering.

- Right.

- What kind of things do environmental engineers do?

- I play an important role of keeping our environment safe by looking at water quality and understanding how to ensure that we have safe water for everybody to drink.

- So where do you work and do all this cool stuff?

- I work at GHD, which is an engineering and architecture firm.

At GHD I'm a water engineer and I collect water samples in different sites that need to be tested.

I go back in the office with my teammates and look at different maps to see where water is throughout the city that I'm researching.

I help understand the quality of water, understand how we utilize water on a day-to-day basis, whether you're washing your clothes or taking a shower.

- So what's the biggest question that you get asked at work?

- The biggest question that I get asked at my job is how do we manage water?

Whether that's pushing water to a different area so that it's safe for the environment or just to understand where water goes after a period of precipitation.

- Okay, so what are some ways that you work with water and like test the quality?

- [Jasmine] I collect water samples and I look at the pH to understand how much acid is within the water itself.

I look at the turbidity, which is looking to see how clear water is, and I also understand what chemicals are within the water to see if we can drink it or not.

- So when you aren't doing an amazing job, you know, saving the planet, what are some of the things you like to do in your free time?

- I love to travel.

I love to cook.

I love to experience nature on a nature walk and I love to give back into my community.

- What are some of your favorite ways of giving back?

- Me and my mom volunteer at a community house giving free meals, doing Turkey drives and giving back to those of need.

- So it sounds like your mom was a huge part of what you're doing now.

Tell us a little bit more about that.

- [Jasmine] So my mom is a true inspiration.

She was a single parent and with her support I was able to go to a private school while she worked full-time.

So I aspired to be like her to be persistent and to be continuously motivated.

- That is a beautiful story.

Your mom is so strong for that.

- [Jasmine] Yes, she was my biggest supporter while I got my degree as an environmental engineer.

- So I have to ask, what were you like when you were my age?

- [Jasmine] I was curious.

I was outgoing.

I tried to get my hands dirty by experimenting in school and outdoors, and I just love to learn.

- Did you ever run into any challenges as a black woman?

- [Jasmine] Unfortunately, I was one of few black individuals at my high school and I did not get a lot of support from my peers.

So at that time I decided that I wanted to go to a historical black college.

I eventually got my degree from Central State University and I had so much help for my peers my mentors and professors.

- So a little birdie told me that you were a teacher at Central State.

Can you tell us what you do?

- [Jasmine] I teach water resources management and I help my students understand what it's like to use water and why water is important to the world that we live in.

- Of course.

So is it important for you for black people to get involved in engineering?

- Yes, black people face the most environmental issues throughout the nation, and if we come together and learn more about the environment we can have a better place that we can live in and understand where we are in the world.

- You're so right.

Do you have any advice that you would give to kids my age who might be looking into engineering like you?

- Some advice that I would give you, Riley, and other people that look like you, is just to explore.

Learn from different people and see what their impact is.

Have fun and be sure to ask a lot of questions.

- Yes, of course.

I love asking questions as you can tell.

It was great talking to you, Jasmine.

- It was nice talking to you too, Riley.

- Thank you so much for showing me how you engineered your future.

Bye.

- Bye.

- Mission accomplished.

(upbeat music) Wow, this talk about water is making me thirsty.

(upbeat music)