For the Love of Engineering
Andra Voicu (B.S. â08) found the love of her lifeâelectrical contractingâa few years ago when she accepted her fatherâs request to join him in his business. Working behind the scenes on projects for schools, hospitals, and municipal buildings in the New York area, and then seeing the results, proved electrifying (pardon the pun).
âThe satisfaction I received from building things is something I canât describe,â she says.
Voicu, who now serves as president of Mac Fhionnghaile and Sons Electrical Contracting Inc., saw that her critical thinking and research skills could solve problems that would otherwise hold projects back. âIâve never found a technical issue where I said, âIt canât be done.â Iâve learned how to look at projects from different angles,â says Voicu, who earned a degree in electrical and computer engineering. She enjoys the variety in her work, whether itâs an HVAC upgrade at LaGuardia Airport, a lighting redo inside the cages at the Bronx Zoo, or an installation of energy-efficient lighting in 2,500 apartments in the Castle Hill neighborhood in the Bronx.
Voicuâs can-do attitude and self-assuredness quickly earned her respect in what she describes as a male-dominated industry. âI was scared, but I had faith in what I knew and that wouldnât deter me,â she recalls. Not long ago, when a major hospital faced an electrical emergency, Mac Fhionnghaile and Sons was called to provide a solution. âThe engineer who was consulting for me said, âAndiâs here; youâre good.â Becoming their person when any problems arise is really rewarding,â she says.
Remembering the lonely feeling of being a woman in electrical contracting inspired Voicu to draw female students into similar fields. She serves as vice president of the Lighting the Way Foundation for Girls in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), a nonprofit that promotes mentoring and advocating to break gender barriers. She is also active in the organization Women Construction Owners and Executives.
Once young women understand that engineering is an art, Voicu says, they begin to see greater career opportunities. âYes, thereâs lots of math and science, but you harness those, and then you get to create things. Stick with it. Learning to do hard things gives you courage.â
Young women who enter these fields could get involved in projects that impact not just their community but also the world. One of the areas that especially excites Voicu is energy efficiency. âNew ways to save energy are emerging,â she says. âThe ability to be involved in this is so important for the air, the environment, and cost savings.â
For her professional achievements and her efforts to encourage more interest in STEM careers, Voicu received the first Mid-Career Excellence Award at the College of Engineering and Computing Sciencesâ Ingenium Awards in May 2025.
She looks back fondly on her time at șÚÁÏ”Œșœ, including the âtop-notch professors and great labs,â and is impressed with the collegeâs expanded offerings. âThere are projects with NASA and many research grants,â she notes. In addition, șÚÁÏ”Œșœ âis prioritizing more student involvement, and thatâs very cool.â
By Diane DiPiero
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