Heather McGraw

Outstanding Graduate Heather McGraw says the strong environmental engineering program, innovative professors and access to industry professionals drew her to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.

“I majored in environmental engineering to translate my curiosity, zest for understanding and love of water into a career where I will work to improve the current contamination issues of our water supply,” she says.

McGraw’s path to ASU began at Mesa Community College, where she laid the foundation for her success. Once at ASU and driven by a passion for improving water quality, McGraw says her fluid mechanics course made her realize the power of water.

She says Associate Professor Kerry Hamilton in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment provided guidance in the classroom and laboratory that allowed her to better understand how contaminants change chemically, physically or biologically and how they move through the environment.

“My desire to design water infrastructure to provide clean drinking water, recharge groundwater aquifers and minimize agricultural and stormwater runoff will provide health benefits for us now and allow us to have choices in how we live our lives in the future,” McGraw says.

While at ASU, McGraw received the Environmental Professionals of Arizona Scholar Scholarship, the American Society of Civil Engineers Life Member Scholarship and the National Science Foundation S-STEM Scholarship.

When she served as treasurer for Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, McGraw says she gained a better understanding of the process of securing funding for student activities. She also participated in the Society of Water and Environmental Leaders and the American Society of Civil Engineers during her time at ASU to develop leadership and teamwork skills.

McGraw says one of her biggest achievements was passing the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying’s Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and earning the Engineer-in-Training certification.

“Environmental engineering is not only about nature,” she says. “Advanced materials and modeling technology are used to solve pollution and natural resource distribution issues.”

After graduation, McGraw is excited to bring her engineering design skills to her role as a water/wastewater engineer at GHD, where she’ll begin her career this June.  

“I am invested in the importance of conserving water for Arizona,” McGraw says. “My engineering education at ASU has been a great benefit and has reinforced the passion that I have for Arizona water quality.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2025 class here.