Brianna Camero-Sulak Maximizes Impact with Rose Squared
Monday, December 01, 2025
Brianna Camero-Sulak earned two degrees, played two sports, and worked three jobs while at Rose-Hulman, leading her to her current role as a wastewater engineer at Strand Associates.
Brianna Camero-Sulak realized at an early age that water is more than merely a refreshing drink, but the very backbone of life itself.
"I went into college wanting to focus on water because there's a lot of inequity with clean air, drinkable water, and fertile soil," she explained. "I always wanted to help communities in that way."
Camero-Sulak, who earned a bachelor's degree in 2023 in civil engineering with a minor in sustainability and a master's degree in 2024 in environmental engineering through the Rose Squared (R2) program, now lives out that dream every day as a wastewater engineer at Strand Associates, working on wastewater treatment plant design projects and improvements.
"It's really valuable to the way a city runs," Camero-Sulak said. "We're working with the City of Dubuque (Iowa), which has huge wastewater treatment infrastructure…but we are also working with small rural Wisconsin communities. Everyone matters. It's nice to get the whole spectrum of types of places that we're working for."
Strand employs over 500 employees at 12 locations scattered across the country. Though originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Camero-Sulak currently works from the company's headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, where Strand encourages her to be the best version of herself.
"One of Strand's mindsets is 'Let's grow on people's strengths,'" she said. "If I have a weakness, there's a high likelihood that someone else has a strength in that, so we accentuate the strengths rather than focusing on people's weaknesses."
For her part, Camero-Sulak brings several strengths to the table, including a self-awareness gained through the R2 program.
By starting her career with her master's degree in hand, Camero-Sulak said, "I had a better understanding of who I am, the type of energy I bring, and the space I take up or leave for people."
She is also unafraid to ask her older colleagues to help her grow, after spending her time at Rose-Hulman asking her professors insightful questions, even when her peers felt more timid. Camero-Sulak noted that several professors thanked her for her questions.
"It (R2) really teaches you how to learn," she said. "For my job, there isn't any traditional training. You get thrown into projects and work with more experienced coworkers and learn along the way."
She started a little further along that path than other new employees might have. As the first student to pair the Rose Squared program with a master's in environmental engineering, Camero-Sulak helped pioneer the program. She completed cross-disciplinary courses to gain a well-rounded foundation in engineering, and, as her final design project, she worked with a drinking water plant in Tennessee to design new pumping and PFAS treatment.
"I was able to touch a water plant and help design — which is what I'm doing right now — but in the drinking water realm," she said. "Even though I'm doing wastewater, that was really cool. I completely understand the pumping stuff now, where I definitely didn't back then."
Even before coming to Rose-Hulman, Camero-Sulak had known she wanted to earn a master's degree immediately after her undergraduate education, but the R2 program allowed to her to shorten that timeframe even more. She not only earned two degrees simultaneously but also played two sports (soccer and tennis) and worked three campus jobs — a tour guide for Admissions, an office assistant in Student Affairs, and a grader in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department.
"My classes were still counted under FAFSA, so it made it more affordable," Camero-Sulak explained.
Throughout her two degrees at Rose-Hulman, she found and sought mentors in every corner of her life — from her academics and athletics to her extracurriculars and employment. She even played intramural soccer alongside faculty and staff, forging additional bonds along the way.
"I really enjoyed having adults in my life that I felt were a mentor to me or a parent figure at times," Camero-Sulak said. "That's what made my experience at Rose — knowing all of those amazing adults were there for me."
Camero-Sulak noted that she had the opportunity to play that role for others. Several younger students — who were very involved student leaders themselves — told Camero-Sulak that she had been their tour guide when they visited Rose-Hulman and played an instrumental role in their college decisions.
"You don't know how much of an impact you make on someone," Camero-Sulak said. "You are making an impact on someone in some way anytime you're engaging with a person. That can be a short-term or a long-term impact, and some of these change the trajectory of their life."
Though she or they may not directly realize it, thousands of people now benefit from Camero-Sulak's career impact, as she lives out her childhood dream and helps make her community cleaner and safer.
"I went into college wanting to focus on water because there's a lot of inequity with clean air, drinkable water, and fertile soil," she explained. "I always wanted to help communities in that way."
Camero-Sulak, who earned a bachelor's degree in 2023 in civil engineering with a minor in sustainability and a master's degree in 2024 in environmental engineering through the Rose Squared (R2) program, now lives out that dream every day as a wastewater engineer at Strand Associates, working on wastewater treatment plant design projects and improvements.
"It's really valuable to the way a city runs," Camero-Sulak said. "We're working with the City of Dubuque (Iowa), which has huge wastewater treatment infrastructure…but we are also working with small rural Wisconsin communities. Everyone matters. It's nice to get the whole spectrum of types of places that we're working for."
Strand employs over 500 employees at 12 locations scattered across the country. Though originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Camero-Sulak currently works from the company's headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, where Strand encourages her to be the best version of herself.
"One of Strand's mindsets is 'Let's grow on people's strengths,'" she said. "If I have a weakness, there's a high likelihood that someone else has a strength in that, so we accentuate the strengths rather than focusing on people's weaknesses."
For her part, Camero-Sulak brings several strengths to the table, including a self-awareness gained through the R2 program.
By starting her career with her master's degree in hand, Camero-Sulak said, "I had a better understanding of who I am, the type of energy I bring, and the space I take up or leave for people."
She is also unafraid to ask her older colleagues to help her grow, after spending her time at Rose-Hulman asking her professors insightful questions, even when her peers felt more timid. Camero-Sulak noted that several professors thanked her for her questions.
"It (R2) really teaches you how to learn," she said. "For my job, there isn't any traditional training. You get thrown into projects and work with more experienced coworkers and learn along the way."
She started a little further along that path than other new employees might have. As the first student to pair the Rose Squared program with a master's in environmental engineering, Camero-Sulak helped pioneer the program. She completed cross-disciplinary courses to gain a well-rounded foundation in engineering, and, as her final design project, she worked with a drinking water plant in Tennessee to design new pumping and PFAS treatment.
"I was able to touch a water plant and help design — which is what I'm doing right now — but in the drinking water realm," she said. "Even though I'm doing wastewater, that was really cool. I completely understand the pumping stuff now, where I definitely didn't back then."
Even before coming to Rose-Hulman, Camero-Sulak had known she wanted to earn a master's degree immediately after her undergraduate education, but the R2 program allowed to her to shorten that timeframe even more. She not only earned two degrees simultaneously but also played two sports (soccer and tennis) and worked three campus jobs — a tour guide for Admissions, an office assistant in Student Affairs, and a grader in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department.
"My classes were still counted under FAFSA, so it made it more affordable," Camero-Sulak explained.
Throughout her two degrees at Rose-Hulman, she found and sought mentors in every corner of her life — from her academics and athletics to her extracurriculars and employment. She even played intramural soccer alongside faculty and staff, forging additional bonds along the way.
"I really enjoyed having adults in my life that I felt were a mentor to me or a parent figure at times," Camero-Sulak said. "That's what made my experience at Rose — knowing all of those amazing adults were there for me."
Camero-Sulak noted that she had the opportunity to play that role for others. Several younger students — who were very involved student leaders themselves — told Camero-Sulak that she had been their tour guide when they visited Rose-Hulman and played an instrumental role in their college decisions.
"You don't know how much of an impact you make on someone," Camero-Sulak said. "You are making an impact on someone in some way anytime you're engaging with a person. That can be a short-term or a long-term impact, and some of these change the trajectory of their life."
Though she or they may not directly realize it, thousands of people now benefit from Camero-Sulak's career impact, as she lives out her childhood dream and helps make her community cleaner and safer.