Lilly Vang
Job Title: Electrical Engineer
Company: CDM Smith
Location: Maitland, Fla.
Age: 26
Years on the Job: 4
Interests: Reading science fiction and biographies and trying out new recipes from around the world
By taking electrical courses at North Carolina State University, Lilly Vang got hooked on electrical engineering. Inspired by her brother to explore engineering and encouraged by her professors to take electrical courses, she pursued an internship with a protection and control team, researching how battery storage could improve reliability in the grid.
“I loved what I learned there so much that I went for a master’s in electrical engineering and was able to get my professional engineer license a year earlier than my fellow electrical engineers,” she says.
Raised in the Piedmont foothills of North Carolina, Vang says she spent the last two years of high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Math.
“Math and science have always been a big part of my life,” Vang says. “That’s why when I had the opportunity to pursue an education focused mainly on math and science, I took it.”
Vang, who recently got married and moved to Florida with her husband, is now working as an electrical engineer for CDM Smith. When she first started with the company, she said the team was very knowledgeable, provided training opportunities, and invited her to join them on on-site visits to see different electrical equipment.
As an electrical engineer at CDM Smith, she is currently working on the contract drawings for a $40-million facility expansion for a Florida wastewater treatment plant. She is also evaluating medium-voltage variable frequency drives to help a client to resolve current voltage spike issues.
“I love coming up with solutions that meet code requirements and satisfy the client’s needs for these complex problems,” she says.
As a young electrical engineer with design, construction and specification writing experience, Vang is continuously learning about new standards/codes and reaching out to other electrical engineers.
“Every engineer has a different perspective on a project,” she says. “I think it’s important to learn these perspectives while cultivating my own.”
