1. 28 | BE WHAT I WANT TO BE
TANISHA W.
Distribution Engineer • Pepco
What do you do at work all day?
It is my job to determine how to feed electric
service to newly constructed buildings, hotels, gas
stations, soccer stadiums and more. The majority
of my day consists of designing, reviewing and
approving electrical drawings. These drawings
are released to our construction team. The
construction team will then build the job I design
and/or approved. I also monitor and track the
budget for large projects. Any upcoming changes
in my project need to be logged into our system.
Those changes include requests for money, delays
in deadlines, etc. All of these changes may affect
the funding of my projects. Some days I have to
do feeder ride-outs, which means I drive around
and troubleshoot problems with overhead power
lines. This is important because there may be
equipment – poles, transformers and cables – in
the field that are old and needs replacement.
If you weren’t in your current profession,
what would you be?
I would be a basketball player in the women’s
league overseas.
What do you do in your free time?
I enjoy gardening and building solar power in my
back yard, using a car battery, a fan propeller and a
solar panel.
What can students do NOW to begin
preparing for a career as an engineer?
The best advice I can give is:
• Stay focused on your school work; especially
science and math.
• Complete assignments as soon as they are
given to you – try not to fall behind.
• Learn how to network by making friends with
goal-driven students in your class.
• Do not be afraid to ask for help!
• Start looking at colleges you may want to
attend. Do students get jobs when they
graduate from those schools?
As an electrical engineer, there will always be work
for us because society depends on electricity.
EDUCATION
HIGH SCHOOL:
East Stroudsburg
High School North,
Pennsylvania
COLLEGE: B.S. in
Electrical Engineering,
Pennsylvania State
University
GRADUATE: M.S.
in Engineering
and Technology
Management,
Louisiana Tech
University
I WORK IN:
PRINCE GEORGE’S
COUNTY

2. BE WHAT I WANT TO BE | 29
APPLYING OUR ENERGY
FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW.
Whether we’re providing essential resources or volunteering our time, supporting
the communities we serve is a vital part of our everyday work.
We’re proud to support the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education’s
efforts to help shape the leaders of tomorrow, and to have Pepco Holdings
President and CEO Dave Velazquez serve as the organization’s
Chair of the Board.
© Pepco Holdings, 2016
pepcoholdings.com