Water Equation connects professionals with growth opportunities

For young professionals, opportunities to grow often hinge on access — to experiences, to decision‑makers, and to professional development that extends beyond their day‑to‑day work. Water Equation’s scholarship programs are designed to connect early‑career professionals to these kinds of high‑impact experiences that might otherwise be financially or logistically out of reach.

Each year, Water Equation provides travel scholarships to:

• Utility employees to attend AWWA’s Young Professional Leader Training Day and AWWA/WEF YP Summit.
• Young professionals to attend the Water Matters Fly-In in Washington D.C.
• Emerging utility leaders accepted to the Transformative Water Leadership Academy.

These opportunities give emerging leaders in the sector real-world exposure, confidence, and a platform to contribute. In April, Water Equation sent five young professionals to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Water Matters Fly-In, an advocacy effort that includes meetings on Capitol Hill. For many, it was the first time they had met with their congressional representatives or their staffs — and that, in itself, was eye-opening.

“What I learned the most is that there’s no equation to being heard. It’s really repeatedly reaching out, getting your face remembered, and building a rapport with the different offices,” said Rebecca Yoo, a permitting engineer for the state of Utah. She said the visits reinforced the importance of communication during meetings like these.

“Communicating across disciplinary lines and understanding how important it is for engineers to learn how to talk to our representatives was really valuable to me,” she said. “I’m an engineer, but we’re obviously not talking to engineers [on the Hill]. The details aren’t as important there as conveying the big picture and the impact it makes for constituents.”

Daryl Young, manager of regulatory compliance for Kansas City Water, attended the Fly-In for the second consecutive year and he said the return trip felt “gratifying.” He and his colleagues from Missouri met with nine of 10 congressional offices — including two meetings with members. “It felt like we were making a difference,” he said, noting that they championed seven proposed bills pertaining to cybersecurity and resilience of water systems.

His delegation included representatives from engineering, operations, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing. “Because we had this very diverse group that could convey the message at their level and stress the importance with very specific examples, our meetings were far more effective this year,” he said.

For Yoo, Young, and others, receiving the Water Equation scholarship made it possible for them to experience the Fly-In; without it, they say they wouldn’t have gone — and they would have missed out on the professional development inherent in these opportunities.

“These scholarships are about more than helping someone attend a single event,” said Margo Hatton, who oversees Water Equation. “They’re about building confidence, developing leadership skills, and ensuring young professionals understand how their expertise connects to decisions that affect communities across the country.”

To receive a travel scholarship from Water Equation, individuals must submit an application, which is reviewed by a three-member committee. Applications for the next cycle, including support for the Young Professionals Summit and the Water Matters Fly‑In, will open Aug. 1.

Travel scholarships are just one of many types of assistance Water Equation provides each year to develop emerging leaders in the water sector. Water Equation depends on donations to support its mission. To donate, visit awwa.org/water-equation/.