Knoch graduate spearheads recognition program for engineering grads
Thanks to a former Knoch High School student, now thousands of engineering graduates across the country this month will have specially colored cords to recognize their accomplishments in college.
At the suggestion of Knoch alumna Jenny Painter, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying has started distributing honor cords to dozens of schools nationwide.
The idea came to Painter as she was preparing to graduate from the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering and Computing last spring. Painter passed what she considered her hardest test yet, the council’s Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.
“Everyone was taking graduation photos, getting their honor cords, and it was a really exciting time,” Painter said. “I had just passed the FE exam, probably my biggest accomplishment, and I thought it would be great if we could show that off.”
Painter brought the idea of honor cords for those who passed the challenging exam to Juan Caicedo, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department chairman at the university. Caicedo, in turn, spread the idea to Jimmy Chao, adjunct professor of civil engineering at South Carolina and president of the engineering firm Chao & Associates.
The idea spread quickly. Only a year after Painter brought her proposal to Caicedo, 69 universities across the country are using the honor cords.
“I never thought this would become a national initiative,” Painter said. “It will be fun to see future graduates wearing the cords, and it was nice that my idea was important to the faculty and that they helped bring it to life.”
“This initiative highlights the importance of creating an environment where students feel comfortable reaching out to faculty and department leadership,” Caicedo said.
Painter graduated from Knoch High School in 2018. This March, she joined civil engineering firm Thomas & Hutton as a civil designer.
