Georgia Tech has helped the civil engineering master’s graduate overcome a troubled past to create a new future for himself.
Thomas Vandiver is completing Georgia Tech’s civil engineering BS/MS program this spring and headed to a dream job in structural engineering and building design. It’s a much different future than seemed possible for Vandiver seven or eight years ago. And it may very well be because he refused — time and again — to give up or settle for the comfortable path.
Vandiver kept working. Kept putting himself out there. Kept overcoming obstacles.
After high school, Vandiver said he seemed to find trouble around every corner. He spiraled into substance abuse and had several run-ins with the law. For a while, he bounced around what he called dead-end jobs.
“I always kind of floated along through life thinking that I was going to make it big one day,” Vandiver said. “Something or somebody was going to come out of the blue and say, ‘Hey, we’ve been looking for you.’ Thinking I was going to stumble on to something great.”
At 27, Vandiver decided something needed to change. He checked into a rehabilitation program, and he started thinking about what came next. The pastor of a church connected with the program invited Vandiver to live with his family and pursue an education.
So he did, enrolling at West Georgia Technical College to work toward a vocational certificate. To help pay for school, he worked with a general contractor and even started a homebuilding and renovation business on the side.
He fell in love with learning, particularly enjoying his math courses, and wondered what he could do with that. When he saw the associate degree in engineering program, he thought that could be a good fit.
It was. And soon he was eyeing a transfer to the University of West Georgia to take more rigorous courses. Then he took advantage of the Regents Engineering Pathway Program to apply for another transfer — this time to Georgia Tech to study civil engineering.
Vandiver built this custom home for a couple in Carrollton while he studied at the University of West Georgia and Georgia Tech. To help pay for school, he worked with a general contractor and then started a homebuilding and renovation business on the side. (Photo Courtesy: Thomas Vandiver)
For the last five years, Vandiver has commuted to Tech’s campus from Carrollton, spending three hours a day on the road fighting for his college dream. Balancing tough courses, working, and commuting meant he didn’t always get as much sleep as he wanted. But it’s been worth it: A structural engineering internship at Uzun + Case has turned into a full-time job starting later in May.
“Nothing good comes easy. I think Georgia Tech’s a testament of that,” Vandiver said. “It’s been stressful. It’s caused me to scream at my computer thousands of times. It’s caused me to have panic attacks. But it’s been great. It’s been the most beautiful thing I’ve ever done.”
In his early days on campus, Vandiver said he sometimes felt like his age and the years he wasted set him apart from students who were younger and better prepared.
(text and background only visible when logged in)
CEED was such a good environment with so many good people to learn from, and a lot of them have come from their own big struggles. There was a shared camaraderie of knowing that someone else’s journey was just as rocky as mine.
THOMAS VANDIVER
(text and background only visible when logged in)
Vandiver has become a whitewater kayaking enthusiast, tackling some of the Southeast’s most challenging rapids. His favorite spot is the Ocoee River. (Photo Courtesy: Thomas Vandiver)
One of the places that helped was the College of Engineering’s Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED), where he found a community he could connect with.
“CEED was such a good environment with so many good people to learn from, and a lot of them have come from their own big struggles. There was a shared camaraderie of knowing that someone else’s journey was just as rocky as mine,” Vandiver said.
“I feel like I was in a fog for so many years, and then, you know, to wake up one day and see so many great people around you, you just want to get to know them.”
Before long, he was involved in CEED’s Peer 2 Peer mentoring program. Now he’s a graduate mentor, helping guide a group of younger mentors and mentees.
Valentina De La Fé still remembers the reserved, maybe uncertain, student who walked into CEED one day. Over time, she saw Vandiver open up and begin to have a deep, positive influence on other students.
“Being a successful mentor requires you to be humble, open, and available. Thomas shared his life experiences — his successes, his failures, and his fears — making him a wonderful and impactful mentor,” said De La Fé, CEED’s assistant director of undergraduate initiatives. “His ability to motivate others to step out of their comfort zones and embrace new challenges reflects his own journey of growth and transformation.”
In fact, Vandiver’s face has become a symbol of Georgia Tech’s transformational impact. His photo hangs on many of the light poles around campus promoting the Transforming Tomorrow campaign, and he’s appeared on an alumni mailer, too.
“I’m like, how did this happen? Then I learned about the campaign. And so, I want people to know that Georgia Tech transformed my tomorrow,” he said. “It was a lot worse, and I would like people to know that they made a difference.”
(text and background only visible when logged in)
(text and background only visible when logged in)
Related Content
Bethanie Penna Finds Her Joy in Serving Others
The ISyE student is the first Dean’s Scholar to graduate and has helped shape the community-centered program for future generations.
Center for Engineering Education and Diversity (CEED)
CEED collaborates with Georgia Tech offices and student organizations, alumni, national organizations, corporations, the K-12 community, and other universities to create and support a diversified engineering workforce.
(text and background only visible when logged in)
Transforming Tomorrow
Financial support enables the College of Engineering to continue to push the boundaries of engineering education and shape tomorrow’s leaders in the field.