As a project engineer for Suffolk Construction, Mia Sanabria ’20 is already helping shape some of New York City’s most ambitious projects. After beginning her career working on the Faena Hotel in Miami, a Michelin rated, six star luxury property with 120 rooms, Mia has taken on an even larger challenge. She is now part of the Suffolk Construction team working on The Torch, a 52-story skyscraper rising at 740 Eighth Avenue in the heart of Times Square. When completed, the 1,029 foot tower is expected to include an 825-room hotel, retail space, restaurants and a public observation deck.

In her role, Mia serves as a critical link between subcontractors and the design team, overseeing construction details and helping make sure a project moves from plans to reality.

“I’ve always known I was a math person,” Mia says. “Civil engineering was a natural fit.” She got her first break after applying on a whim for an internship with Gilbane during her senior year of college. That hands-on geotechnical experience, where she was able to make decisions on site and see the results of her work, convinced her that construction, not just design, was her calling.

Today, Mia works in a demanding field where confidence and communication are essential. In a largely male-dominated, blue-collar environment, she is often one of the few women on site. “There’s one woman in the field, one as a project manager, and then me,” she says. “You learn how to navigate it. You can’t be nervous. You just do your job and move on.”

Mia credits Xaverian with preparing her to excel in environments where she interacts with hundreds of people every day. “People are often surprised by my age,” she says. “But Xaverian taught me how to talk to people like an adult. I interact with hundreds of people every day, and I feel prepared because of what I learned there.”

From Kairos retreats to 5 AM call times for Asia initiatives, Mia took advantage of every opportunity at Xaverian. “I learned more life lessons in high school than I did in college,” she says. “It was the teachers who made the biggest difference. People like Mr. Del George, who helped connect me with people in the engineering space.”

For now, Mia is continuing to build her experience in construction while keeping an eye toward real estate development, where she hopes to see entire projects come to life from the ground up. Her work on The Torch gives her a front-row seat to that process, as one of New York’s most visible new towers continues its climb toward the skyline.

At Xaverian, Mia learned early that there is more than one way to find your path. “There were only ten of us girls in my college class,” she says. “But at Xaverian, even being in the first coed class, I never felt out of place. Xaverian gave me the confidence to pursue anything.”

From a Brooklyn classroom to construction sites in Miami and now Times Square, Mia Sanabria continues to build. And, just like the projects she helps create, there is plenty more still to come.