ROD Gradaute Engineer, Angela Renni.
My name is Angela Renni. I joined Roughan & O'Donovan (ROD) as a graduate engineer last September.
When I was young girl, I was fascinated by beautiful buildings, and I spent hours playing with construction sets. I won a scholarship to study civil engineering at University of Salento in Puglia, and while I was studying for my master’s degree, I spent six months working at a chemical engineering company, where I explored the world of innovative high-performance fibre concrete. The experience formed the basis of my master’s thesis, which was recognised by the Italian Structural Concrete Association (AICAP) as the best in its field in the country, and I was invited to present my paper at the Italian Concrete Days conference in Lecco in June 2018.
After graduating, I decided to undertake a doctorate at the University of Salento in Lecce and, in my first few months, I submitted several research papers and a chapter for Elsevier, the Dutch publishing and analytics company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content.
At the same time, I found myself researching interesting job opportunities for engineers both in Italy and abroad. I am not sure if it was destiny or luck but, one day, I followed a google link to the ROD website, where I saw an advert for its graduate programme. Attracted by the opportunity to explore the ‘entire’ world of civil engineering, from buildings and bridges to transportation and research, I decided to apply.
When I was offered a place on the programme, I was faced with a difficult decision – should I continue my PhD or make a move into industry? In the end, the voice of the young girl who loved playing with construction sets prevailed, and I packed my things for Dublin.
At the beginning, I found it a difficult to settle in Ireland. The language was particularly challenging because Irish people speak extremely fast and there are so many different accents to get to know. Not being able to get the joke at the end of a speech was terrible!
Now that I am here seven months, life is much easier than it was. I love my job, my colleagues and the international atmosphere at ROD. I am currently working with the buildings team on a challenging residential project in Portlaoise involving the development of four new buildings and the refurbishment of two protected buildings. And, my next rotation is with the bridges team, which is very exciting!
Dublin feels like my second home now. I live in Ranelagh, so I can walk to the city centre, passing along Grafton Street, through Trinity College Dublin, and then all the way to O’Connell Street.
The countryside is easy to get to, and if I get nostalgic for the sea, I head to Howth, Malahide and Bray. What wonderful places!
