“I had this desire be a part of a working environment that not only focused on the technical aspects, but the bigger picture, of how the design and build of infrastructure would assist the economy and society as a whole,” she relates.
A fascination with infrastructure and desire to contribute to something bigger than herself coalesced in her achieving a civil engineering degree. She relates that this path was made easier by an undeniable knowing that becoming a doctor was not an option she wanted to pursue.
“Therefore, finding an alternative way to help communities within my line of work, besides from medicine, was of utmost importance,” she explains.
Another primary influence was her family, who instilled Devina with a strong work ethic while encouraging her to pursue a career that she would feel fulfilled in. Her journey towards becoming an engineer began with attaining an undergraduate degree in civil engineering at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal. This was followed by completing her postgraduate degree in engineering management at the University of Pretoria. It was during her undergraduate degree that the seeds for her career today were planted.
“I received a bursary at Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). In my first year of work, I was placed by TFR at a rail depot in Witbank, Mpumalanga, a town I knew nothing of, but became my home for about three years. Although being away from my family was daunting and filled with trials, this experience laid the foundation for not only my personal growth but for the knowledge, skills, and expertise I have acquired as a civil and rail engineer, team member and leader,” she elaborates.
With five years’ experience in the rail industry under her belt, Devina had greater clarity of the direction she wanted to take career-wise - and set her sights on joining WSP.
“I knew WSP in Africa would be able to provide the necessary environment and guidance. I was aware that WSP in Africa was building and growing their rail team, and as soon as an opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it with both hands,” she says.
The decision to join WSP has been one she hasn't regretted. Devina explains that the company has enabled her to both improve her technical abilities as an engineer and fostered the development of her personal and leadership skills.
Like many WSP Changemakers, Devina relishes the opportunities to work globally. She points out that her time at WSP has given her the space to work with teams from around the globe on projects. Just one such example is the Regional Express Rail project in Ontario, Canada. It is notably the largest capital infrastructure project in Ontario's historic GO Rail Expansion program. Having the role as one of the track design engineers on this project has broadened her knowledge in the rail industry to include a global design perspective and has taught her the impact of digital engineering on project delivery. Working on an international project of this scale has taught her more about the integration of traditional engineering practices with digital systems, and shown how together, these allow for a more efficient way to achieve project success.
A typical day for Devina is jam-packed with meetings, bid development to be able to grow WSPs workload, design projects and feasibility studies, along with team interactions and chats, something she relishes. Another particular satisfying aspect of her career development at WSP, is the opportunity to fulfil her earliest aspiration, of having a positive impact on society.
“WSP also places importance on mentoring and community development. I was able to join a volunteer trip recently in Eldoret, Kenya, where the GTO trust organisation (giving tomorrow opportunities trust organisation which is part of WSP) organised a trip to the Lewa children’s home, where a group of us, global WSP employees, volunteered for a week, mentoring the kids, painting the schools, building greenhouses, just to name a few tasks,” she relates. “It is activities and opportunities like this within the work environment that makes me feel proud to be a part of this global engineering firm.”
One thing is clear: Devina's career path, and her role at WSP, is on the right track, ticking all the boxes of what she wanted early on.
“Thus far, my WSP in Africa team has and continues to steer me in a direction that compliments my career development and assists me to have the space to learn and grow, which I am very grateful for,” she concludes.
