Sandra Viviana Rey Castellanos

Graduate Environmental Engineer, Project Management Assistant, and Document Controller

My week appears to be busy, but I make certain that I have prioritized my tasks in a specific order, ensuring that everything is completed on time.

6.20 AM

Time to wake up! My alarm goes off and I get out of bed. I drink my energy drink—turmeric, black pepper and water- and then prepare for the day. Before heading out, I feed my cat, Pinot, and give him a goodbye cuddle, pack my backpack and I’m off.

6.55 AM

I leave my house to catch the bus to work, it’s a 35–40 minute commute. While on the bus, I chat with my parents on the phone, check my email and text my family and friends in Columbia.

7.35 AM

When I get to my Merivale Street office in Brisbane, I say ‘good morning’ to my colleagues, I have brief chats in the kitchen, switch my computer on, read my mail, and check my meetings, organising my to-do list for the day. While responding to emails, I have breakfast at my desk—cereal, almond milk, yogurt. Yum.

10.30 AM

I have my first meeting of the day. I’m meeting with the technical team and a client. I usually start the meeting by sharing a safety moment and I sometimes help the Design Manager by compiling meeting notes and creating an actions register.

11.30 AM

I have my second meeting of the day with the environmental services team. We start by checking in with everyone and then discussing the projects we’re working on to see if anyone needs support and who has the capacity to help. My week looks busy, but I make sure that I have prioritised my tasks in a particular order, getting everything done on time.

1.00 PM

It’s lunch time! I usually bring lunch from home to save money, but when I don’t bring lunch, I go downstairs because there are quite a few delicious restaurants and cafes outside my building. I go to the kitchen where I can eat while catching up with my colleagues and friends from other teams. I like to have my lunch away from my desk because I think it’s important to switch off from work and to connect with my colleagues.

1.30 PM

I’m back at my desk to do what I call, ‘my second shift’. I needed to help with an environmental desktop assessment for one of our Brisbane sewerage treatment plants. Using Queensland Globe, checking current legislation, and other interactive mapping systems, I identify all the environmental constraints around the project site in collaboration with the ecology team, the design, and the technical team on the project. I call one of the senior environmental scientists to ask a few questions about my findings.

2.30 PM

I join a meeting with the client’s document control team to discuss a few topics related to submitted documents and upload more—approximately 70 -100 a day, using a document collaboration portal. This requires a lot of concentration and attention to detail; I need to review each drawing and sketch being sent to the client and ensure they comply with naming conventions.

3:00 PM

I join a webinar session about Professional Networking where I pick up a few tips on how to build and maintain meaningful relationships with other professionals in my industry and other fields. Building a solid network can provide you with a network of individuals you can call on when you need professional guidance and support. I take notes so I can reflect on my learnings.

3.30 PM

I have my last meeting of the day. It’s the weekly progress project meeting with the client via Microsoft Teams. We discuss the project schedule, assign tasks, mitigations and controls, documents sent and received, and staff capacity and capability through an agenda and actions register.

4.30 PM

After the meeting, I consolidate my notes, I do this while they’re fresh in my mind. I then do a final review of my emails and my workday is done. I pack my computer in my backpack if I plan to work from home the next day or leave it in a secure place. I leave the office to catch a bus home.

5.30 PM

I finally get home after my workday and hop into my active wear to go for a 45-minute walk around my suburb. After getting home, I prepare dinner for myself and my husband, and we sit and talk about our day, followed by some Netflix or a movie.

9.30 PM

It’s time to get ready for bed. Usually, I fall asleep on the couch and go to bed when my husband wakes me up.

I’m ready to do it all over again tomorrow!

Thinking of experiencing life as a Stantec Australia Graduate? Sign up to GradAustralia to receive job alerts for Stantec Australia

Charles Darwin University acknowledges the traditional custodians across the lands on which we live and work, and we pay our respects to Elders both past and present.