Growing up in Hamilton, Marko Stefanovic ‘17 dreamed of building a career here. With a curious nature and passion for science, he drew from his childhood interests and went from there.

“As a child, I was always asking why and how things were the way they were,” he says.

“I watched the Discovery Channel and was always fascinated by scientific and historical documentaries. This naturally led me to gravitate toward an engineering field.”

As he navigated high school, Marko found an application for his passion in the real world. He turned his focus towards chemistry and its effects on natural resources, this helped him discover the next step forward in his career path.

“Recognizing the importance of water as a resource and the scarcity of it, I decided I wanted to go into the water field,” he says. “From there, I applied to Mohawk College’s Chemical Engineering Technology program to learn all that I could.”

Mohawk’s Chemical Engineering Technology program prepares students for diverse careers in many fields that rely on chemistry to thrive. Students learn industry-standard skills to carry out processes involved in their work. In Marko’s case, he learned theory and techniques that would one day assist him in a career with water treatment.

During his studies, Marko completed a co-op placement with the City of Hamilton. Citing co-op as one of the reasons he enrolled at Mohawk, Marko put his passion to work and began to see the career he dreamed about becoming a reality.

Marko says, “I worked with Hamilton Water and was responsible for capital upgrades to water distribution and wastewater collection systems. This co-op term also [helped me] build contacts within the water department, which led to a referral for my current job.”

As one of Mohawk’s Future Ready Premium Employers, the City of Hamilton employs over 500 of Mohawk’s graduates like Marko to work in future ready careers across the region. In addition, the City actively supports Mohawk initiatives such as City School and CityLab.

Today, Marko is a regulatory field technician with the City of Hamilton. He helps improve and protect the environment’s water supply daily, which serves his life’s purpose well.

“What inspires me about protecting the environment is the impact it will have on future generations and seeing how far we have come from our past,” he says. “Knowing that the work we do helps protect our watersheds, rivers and lakes so that we can have a sustainable future, gives me a great sense of pride and purpose in my work.”

To Marko, this isn’t just another job; it’s the opportunity to affect positive change on the environment. He is proud of the direct impact that his work in this role has had on many factors of environmental health in the local communities.

“I’ve been involved in sampling projects that have assessed environmental damage and pollution, where some results have led to remedial actions holding polluters accountable.

Also, some of my notes on monitoring sewage dumps in water have been used in court proceedings as evidence. It’s cool to be involved in change at that level,” he says.

Environmental resources are something to be sustained, which requires more folks in the field. Marko has some advice if you’re looking to join him in helping. “If you’re passionate about protecting the environment and want to feel like you’re part of something important in that regard, this career path is for you,” he says. “It’s a great field to work in that is constantly growing as our communities and demand for water grow."