December 11, 2025
Chris Appel graduates with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a head start on a career as a structural engineer with a leading multinational firm.
Kansas City, Missouri, native Chris Appel has been an active leader in the Mizzou chapters of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Chi Epsilon civil engineering honor society and Phi Kappa Psi. He completed two internships with Burns & McDonnell and will return to the multinational construction, architecture and engineering firm as an employee after he graduates in December 2025.
I’ve always enjoyed creating and building.
Whether I was assembling Lego sets as a kid or helping my dad on construction projects, those early experiences sparked a curiosity about design and construction. My older sister studied civil engineering at the University of Kansas. Seeing her passion for the field inspired me to follow a similar path, although I like to think I chose the better university.
Appel (second row, third from left) with his fellow Chi Epsilon initiates on Nov. 14, 2025.
I have long been interested in structural engineering.
I wasn’t fully certain it was the direction I wanted to commit to, but that changed during my sophomore year, when I took statics and structural analysis. Those courses became my favorites, because I was able to understand the basic principles of how members react to certain forces. This confirmed that structural engineering wasn’t just an interest, it was the career path I wanted to pursue.
After graduation, I will work for Burns & McDonnell.
I’ll be an assistant structural engineer in the power group. I plan to stay involved in organizations such as ASCE and work towards my professional engineering license.
Building a network is crucial for success.
My on-campus involvement has compounded over my time at Mizzou. Once I took the initiative to open one door, many others opened in front of me. I will carry this mindset into every aspect of my life, and I will always remember to say “yes” to new opportunities that arise, as this is the only way to grow as an engineer.