David Machado: Pledging support to secure excellence for aspiring engineers
July 8, 2016
David Machado. Photo by James Edward Bates.
Ask David Machado about the truths of life and he’ll quickly explain the value of a good education.
“People can take away cars, houses, and material things, but the one thing you can get that nobody will ever take away from you is your education,” Machado said. “I’ve always told my children that and have tried to stress to them how important it is.”
A civil engineering graduate from Mississippi State University, Machado can attest to the opportunities a good education can bring. He now owns a successful, full-service engineering design firm and is a partner in a subsidiary architecture firm in his hometown of Biloxi. And it all started with his degree and a love of being outdoors.
“I’ve been an avid outdoorsman my whole life,” Machado said. “I fish and I hunt, and probably the main reason civil engineering intrigued me was that civil engineers get to do a lot of things outdoors. I love playing in the dirt and with heavy equipment.”
Although Machado often deals with the business aspects of his firm, Machado | Patano, he still enjoys getting out in the field and said he enjoys it as much as he did when he started his career 16 years ago.
With that thought in mind, Machado decided to express his gratitude to the university that set him on the path to a career that he loves. He and his wife Donna recently pledged $150,000 to the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering for the construction of a new civil engineering complex. He described his decision to give back to the university as an easy one.
“My family and I have been so fortunate and successful, and I attribute a lot of that to Mississippi State, and particularly to the Bagley College of Engineering,” Machado said. “I felt it was important for me to give back to the university that has given so much to me and my family. I’ll always feel like I owe something back to Mississippi State.”
From once being a Mississippi State student to now a business owner, Machado is able to offer valuable insights to the BCoE. He said he believes tremendous opportunities for economic development and research relating to engineering will arise in the coming years. He said he hopes his gift will help the engineering program maintain its excellence.
“As someone who hires civil engineers, as well as other disciplines of engineers from Mississippi State, I think it’s important for MSU to stay competitive, and I think improved facilities will help us do that,” Machado said.
David Machado and family in front of the Biloxi Lighthouse in Biloxi, Mississippi. Photo by James Edward Bates.
Machado said he believes supporting Mississippi State can take several forms besides monetary gifts. He said this support could be through recruiting potential students, mentoring current Bulldogs or using one’s experience from the industry to advise the college on how to better prepare its graduates for the workforce.
Machado said he sees the importance of alumni giving back to the university and hopes to continue offering support to the place where it all began for him.
“The university absolutely depends on the support of its alumni,” Machado said. “I don’t feel I or my fellow alumni would ever be where we are in life without that base and that start we got at Mississippi State.
“I try to participate and stay involved in the university, because I love the university. I hope to always maintain my relationship with Mississippi State University.”
For more information about the Bagley College of Engineering, visit bagley.msstate.edu.
For more articles from Dimensions, the BCoE’s 2016 Annual Report, visit https://issuu.com/bcoe/docs/dimensions2016.
By: Jen Nguyen