Story by Greg Abazorius
Photos by Kirsten Fraser

Caribbean-raised Grady Granville knew very few people in Boston when he enrolled at Wentworth in 2013. As a commuter student, he would have to work even harder to forge relationships on campus. But by graduation, he would grow into a highly respected leader and a strong influence for other students of color.

“One of my goals was to find ways that I could be interactive outside the classroom, despite not being on campus all the time,” says Granville, Civil Engineering ’17. “This was easier than expected because student groups actually found me before I had a chance to find them.

”He first gravitated toward the National Society of Black Engineers after several members realized that, like them, he was from the Caribbean. “From the moment they heard my accent we created a bond,” he recalls.

Granville grew keenly interested in the organization’s mission to “increase the number of culturally responsible Black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.” He quickly stepped out of his comfort zone as a general body member to shadow older students, studying the way they developed programs and instilled pride in members.

He would eventually serve on the executive board.

“NSBE was the foundation of my involvement at Wentworth,” he says.

With the establishment of Wentworth’s Center for Diversity and Social Justice Programs (CDSJP), Granville found increased structure as a student. He became a mentor within the Bridges program, which helps persons of color transition into college, particularly STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) schools, through yearlong programming and one-on-one meetings.

He also served as one of the first fellows for the My Brother’s Keeper program. The national initiative began in 2014 under President Obama to address persistent opportunity gaps for young men of color. Wentworth’s chapter of MBK began in 2017, with 20 fellows taking part in various workshops, socials and other events to bolster their professional and social experiences.

“It was easy to see from the beginning that Grady had the passion to be an advocate for students, especially students of color. Everything he did encouraged others to be active members of the Wentworth community,” says Alex Cabal, director of the CDSJP.

Granville adds, “It was always refreshing to interact with and see new students of color coming to [Wentworth] because we understood and shared the challenges faced, and each played a part in the strategies deployed to be successful in our academic and professional lives.”

Academically, Granville was excelling, his level of involvement in campus activities providing a stable bridge between the classroom and professional endeavors like co-ops. “I was able to succeed and positively impact the community through the various resources I was now aware of and could tap into,” he says.

PROBLEM SOLVER

As a member of Wentworth’s American Society of Civil Engineers chapter, Granville worked on the steel bridge project. This team is tasked with creating a model bridge from scratch, a design that will compete against entries from other universities at a regional conference. Granville calls it one of his proudest moments, as it created a tighter bond with his classmates and served as a strong way to exercise the technical knowledge he gained in the classroom.

“A significant amount of planning, building and training hours throughout each academic year went into the conference preparation,” Granville says. “Being able to see all the hard work was always an accomplishment.”

Granville completed co-ops with the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, Skanska and Buro Happold Engineering during his Wentworth tenure. Upon graduation, he began his current role as a staff civil engineer for Howard Stein Hudson. He has additionally found time to volunteer with the Greater Boston Food Bank and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers, while also serving as a science exhibition judge for Boston Public Schools.

He credits Wentworth’s “problem-solving mindset” in the classroom as one of his most valuable takeaways.

“Having greater awareness of how to navigate my career with a more process-oriented approach, rather than simply relying on the technical knowledge, has helped foster the concept of continuous learning and improvement, as well as a level of resilience to challenges that are always changing in the field of engineering,” Granville says.

Granville with classmates William Ma, Computer Information Systems ’18 (left) and Aletheia Benjamin, Computer Engineering Technology ’15 (middle)

ROADWAY DESIGN AND TEACHING

The U.S. Census Bureau found that commuting via bicycle grew by 43% nationwide between 2000 and 2017. Meanwhile, 84% of the 70 largest cities in America have seen an upward trend in those biking to work during the last 12 years.

Of course, an overall increased population has also meant more cars on the road in addition to more pedestrians trying to navigate busy intersections. People like Grady Granville consider these scenarios when working to improve the safety and accessibility of the nation’s roadways.

A member of Howard Stein Hudson’s Roadway Design team, he works on complex city, municipal and state highway engineering projects. The team often interfaces with MassDOT, MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), the City of Boston and others to design modern roundabouts, protected bicycle lanes, walking and biking trails, and bus prioritization lanes.

As he did as a student, Granville is helping to improve the experience of underrepresented groups of people.

“It’s important, for example, to provide a sufficient level of comfort to cyclists or visually impaired individuals, with the same level of emphasis that is given to vehicles,” he explains. “This aesthetic element of roadway design plays a key role in the inclusivity of all disabled groups of people under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) so that they are intentionally welcomed to use these public facilities.”

Granville has continued to be involved with the CDSJP post-graduation, participating as a panelist and guest speaker in various Center programs, including My Brother’s Keeper and the Accepted Students of Color social.

“We can always count on Grady to encourage and support current and future student leaders,” says Cabal.

And in May 2019, Granville returned to Wentworth as an adjunct lab instructor when the Department of Civil Engineering needed someone with highway design experience. He saw it as a way to give back to the school and to inspire the next generation of engineers.

“The students of Wentworth are very special to me,” he says. “They have always been very driven to succeed and are passionate about what they do.”