Like teammate Jake Nimeh, forward Cam Piorkowski is also following his dad’s career path, but this time in construction.

Ever since he can remember, Cam has helped his dad with a variety of renovations — full houses, small fixes and more. Majoring in civil engineering, Cam is studying to prepare for a career in construction. But Cam’s father isn’t his only inspiration; his older sister is a civil engineer. Cam admires her work and is excited to join her in the field.

Last summer, Cam had the opportunity to intern with a construction management company in Boston, focusing on a residential apartment complex that was being built. During his internship, Cam put together reports about what was going on at the site, talked to subcontractors about changes, and passed along important messages.

Cam is currently taking fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, structural analysis and numerical analysis classes on top of a number of labs that take up three to four hours each week. Although his classes aren’t easy, Cam says he “enjoys them and has fun” learning about topics he is very interested in. 

Cam was introduced to hockey in second grade when his mom didn’t want him playing football. Scared of the possible injuries, she felt much more confident signing him up for hockey, a sport he eventually fell in love with. At first, hockey was just one of three sports he played, including lacrosse and basketball. But by his freshman year of high school, Cam was focusing his efforts on the ice, and transitioned to playing hockey full-time. Although he knows it might not always be easy, Cam hopes to continue playing the sport he loves by joining pickup games after work.

-Rachel Stamberg