Marshall Decker

Marshall Decker says he chose to attend Arizona State University because it presented the opportunity to study construction engineering right in his own backyard.

“With this program, I was involved in both civil engineering and construction management classes,” Decker says. “It allowed me to become more well-rounded in both computational-heavy civil courses and soft skill-focused construction management courses.”

He is now graduating with a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the seven schools in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.

Decker knew he had a passion for building new creations after working in construction, a passion that he now gets to see through to completion. 

“I have the opportunity to build things that people will interact with for decades,” Decker says. “Whether it is the building where they work or the place where they live, my work will become the environment that many people will inhabit every day.”

His career goal is to become a project manager right here in the Phoenix area following graduation. An ideal position for developing his hometown as it continues to grow and adapt.

Decker says he’s prepared to take on the task thanks to the experience he gained through hands-on internships and his instructors imparting their real-life experiences and knowledge in the classroom.

“I think that every instructor has taught me at least one thing that has stuck with me beyond their class,” Decker says. “The combination of all of those bits of wisdom from my instructors has equipped me with the tools to learn new skills quickly and solve problems effectively.”

He says taking classes in the Fulton Schools prepared him to tackle any career challenge because of a focus on effective learning tactics.

“I may not remember everything they taught me in class, but I will remember how I learned it,” Decker says. “I can apply those learning strategies to anything.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Fall 2022 class here.