Building the Road Ahead: Hunter Sipe ’26 

This article is part of The Next Step series. While the four years at VMI are designed for cadets to push themselves academically, physically, and mentally to tackle the demands of life at a premiere military college, they also prepare cadets for life after graduation. Whether that life be one in the military or one in the private sector, VMI faculty and staff provide guidance to cadets along their journeys. One department specifically dedicated to that endeavor of post-Institute success is the Office of Career Services. In The Next Step series, we highlight cadets preparing to enter the workforce after graduation, as well as those still in the midst of their cadetship preparing for internships over the summer. 

Hunter Sipe ’26 entered Virginia Military Institute with one goal — find a job in bridge engineering. However, the more classes he took, the more his interests shifted. The civil engineering major from Vinton, Virginia, found he was drawn to the fast-moving, real-world impact of transportation engineering.  

“I realized transportation was more exciting for me,” he explained. 

That shift ultimately led him to accept a position as a highway design engineer with AECOM in Roanoke. The global infrastructure consulting firm provides engineering, consulting, planning, architectural, construction management, and program management services to clients around the world. He will begin after graduation this spring. 

“I applied for this job because it is close to home and allows me to do something I enjoy while also saving money for the future,” he said. 

He will be assisting the team with their current development of new lanes on Interstate 81 through Roanoke and Salem, using programs like OpenRoads. He’ll contribute to projects that directly impact the region’s infrastructure and daily commutes. 

During a presentation to VMI’s civil engineering 1st Class cadets, an AECOM representative —himself a VMI graduate — shared insights about the company. Learning that this mentor would also become his boss made the decision even easier. He said he was immediately drawn to the company. 

Sipe was able to conduct his interview in one of the career services rooms, which allowed him to have a quiet space with no distractions.  

He’s already a step ahead, too. While at VMI he was able to acquire his Fundamentals of Engineering certification, making him an engineer in training. This will allow him to go for his professional engineer (PE) license in four years. 

He credits his family for encouraging him at a young age to pursue engineering. Finding the field to be a perfect balance of problem solving and hands-on creation, he knows the job will provide a creative path for him. 

Preparing for the professional world, he acknowledges VMI in giving him an edge.  

“I 1,000% believe having the title VMI graduate adds immense value to my resume,” he said.  

Looking ahead, Sipe has clear ambitions. Within the next decade, he plans to earn his PE license, start a family with his fiancée, and eventually settle in the Durham, North Carolina area, continuing his work in transportation engineering. 

“The biggest thing I learned from VMI was not to let life speed up on you and enjoy everything that is given to you,” he said.