Since joining TSP in April, Structural Engineer-in-Training Helen Squyer quickly determined the best part about her job is the collaborative environment.

“Working here truly feels like being part of a team,” she says.

“Everyone brings something valuable to the table, and there’s a real sense of shared purpose that makes our projects rewarding.”

For Helen, this teamwork enhances the quality of the work and fosters a culture of continuous learning.

Helen’s most positive professional influence is her mother, an architect who nurtured her a curiosity about the built environment from an early age.

“Whenever I had a day off from school, she would take me along to her office, job sites, or even lunch meetings with the Sioux Falls Rotary Club. She always encouraged me to ask questions,” Helen recalls.

That early exposure sparked a lasting interest in the world of design and problem-solving.

“I chose to be an engineer because it felt like the perfect convergence of serving the community and doing math,” she explains.

Helen, who grew up in Sioux Falls, headed west for college and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from South Dakota Mines.

Prior to joining TSP, she worked for the South Dakota Department of Transportation in both Pierre and Rapid City.

In the community, Helen is a member of the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz roller derby team, where she skates under the name Steel Gertie—a playful tribute to her career in structural engineering.

“Along with being an intense workout, roller derby is an amazing way to meet people from around the state,” Helen said. “One of my teammates introduced me to (TSP Mechanical Engineer)  Sidney Van Schepen, who gave me an employee referral. In a way, being in roller derby helped me get a position at TSP!”

As a child, Helen wanted to grow up to become a poet. Her creative side still shines through – in her love of musical theater, both as an audience member and a performer.

The last musical she performed in was a production of “Ordinary Days” with the Pierre Players Community Theater, and now that Helen has returned to Sioux Falls, she makes it a point to attend as many musicals as possible at the Washington Pavilion.

If she could meet anyone, living or dead, it would be the late Steve Irwin.

“I’d love to talk with him about animals,” Helen says.

Helen makes it a point to get outside every day, whether it’s walking her dog or reading in the sun.