CFCC Marine Technology Graduates Build Careers with McKim & Creed
From left to right: Jeremy Starkey, Gabriela De Oliveira, and Ernie Bruss
Three of those alumni, Ernie Bruss, Jeremy Starkey, and Gabriela De Oliveira, each took a different path to the same company. While their experiences vary, they all say CFCC’s hands-on Marine Technology program helped prepare them for successful careers.
Ernie Bruss
After deciding he wanted a career that offered travel, steady work, and time on the water, Ernie Bruss began researching offshore navigation. While living in Denver, Colorado, he reached out to an offshore seismic company to ask how people entered the field.
“They told me they were recruiting through CFCC’s Marine Technology program,” Bruss said.
So in 2011, he packed up and moved across the country to enroll in the program.
“It was kind of a shot in the dark,” Bruss said. “I didn’t really know anything about Wilmington or very much about offshore work.”
After graduating, Bruss spent several years gaining industry experience before returning to Wilmington. He set his sights on McKim & Creed because of its reputation.
Since joining the company in 2019, Bruss has worked on projects that have helped shape the region, including surveying for Live Oak Bank Pavilion, Water Street improvements, power plants, apartments, and other development throughout Wilmington.
“Being part of that growth and seeing the impact of our work has been pretty amazing,” he said.
Jeremy Starkey
When Jeremy Starkey enrolled in CFCC’s Marine Technology program in 2014, he expected to pursue a career in fisheries.
Then a field experience in the Bahamas changed his plans. Students launched a survey vessel and conducted their own hydrographic survey.
“I really enjoyed that experience of working with the equipment and collecting data, and realized this was something I wanted to do,” Starkey said.
Before graduating in 2016, he applied for a position with McKim & Creed and began working weekends to gain experience while finishing school. After graduation, he joined the company full-time.
He started in the field traveling to projects across the country. Today, he serves as a hydrographic acquisition manager and project manager.
“My favorite part is still working on the water,” Starkey shared. “We recently completed beach nourishment projects at Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.”
“It’s cool to help restore your own beaches and protect the local community right here in our backyard.”
Gabriela De Oliveira
Gabriela De Oliveira had already built a career working offshore by the time she moved from Brazil to the United States. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and experience at sea, she was looking for a way to continue that work. Her husband, a graduate of CFCC’s Marine Technology program, suggested she enroll.
“He told me, ‘It’s the coolest program ever. I think you’re going to love it.’ He knew it would give me the references and connections I needed to build a career in the U.S.,” she recalled.
De Oliveira arrived in Wilmington just days after finishing a job aboard a ship in Norway and immediately immersed herself in the Marine Technology program.
What impressed De Oliveira most was the program’s emphasis on practical and hands-on learning.
“You do not find that hands-on experience anywhere else,” she said.
Shortly before graduation in 2018, McKim & Creed contacted CFCC seeking a candidate for a specialized role. De Oliveira was recommended and hired immediately.
Over time, she advanced into a leadership role managing production for the company’s hydrographic group while watching both the Wilmington office and the company grow significantly.
She recently earned a second bachelor’s degree in Geomatics with the help of McKim & Creed’s tuition reimbursement program.
Today, she often recommends CFCC’s Marine Technology program to students considering careers in marine science.
“CFCC graduates know exactly what the job entails,” she said. “They catch on a lot quicker because they’ve already worked with the equipment and the processes.”
Demand Continues to Grow
For Bruss, Starkey, and De Oliveira, the opportunities that brought them to CFCC are still growing. As coastal North Carolina continues to develop, so does the need for professionals who can survey land, map waterways, and provide the data behind construction, infrastructure, and environmental projects.
“The surveying profession has an aging workforce,” Bruss said. “At the same time, there’s so much development happening here. There’s a growing demand for skilled surveyors, and I don’t see that need going away anytime soon.”
To learn more about CFCC’s Marine Technology program, visit cfcc.edu/marine-technology. To learn more about CFCC’s Geomatics program, visit cfcc.edu/geomatics.
