McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
Twenty-eight years between taking Calculus 2 and Calculus 3 and the possibility of sitting in classes with his children’s friends did not stop McNeese State University student, Duston Erwin, from coming back to school.
The Lake Charles native graduated from LaGrange High School in 1997 and was a chemical engineering major at McNeese, but he had no idea what that career really looked like. Erwin pivoted to process-technology and spent many years as an operator in the local industry. He says working the rotating shift schedule was hard on his family.
McNeese offers students who want to come back to school opportunities to transfer their credits from another school, to pick up where they left off or to pivot into another degree program. In fact, there are several degrees that are online and fit into a busy schedule.
Erwin switched to civil engineering when he came back to McNeese.
“I worked for a local surveyor years ago when I was in school,” he said. “I loved the work, the challenges and the change in scenery daily. Civil engineering deals with surveying, but also with major infrastructure projects. I’ve always wanted to make lasting impacts for the community, and I knew there would be no shortage of work.”
Coming back to school hasn’t been without challenges for Erwin. He credits the civil engineering professors for helping him figure out how the credit he had already earned fit into civil engineering. The professors have also been forgiving when Erwin missed class and even allowed him to bring his youngest child to class in certain cases.
“My fellow classmates, several of which are my friends’ children or my children’s friends, don’t mind helping to bring an ole Gen-X-er up to speed with some of the more modern-day advancements,” Erwin said. “And likewise, this old dog can still teach these youngsters a trick or two.”
The American Society of Civil Engineers Acadiana Branch named Erwin the Outstanding Junior in May 2026.
Erwin is interning with the Louisiana Bridge Builders as a field engineer intern working on the new Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River. Coincidentally, his grandfather worked on the current bridge and his father and uncles worked on the Interstate 210 bridge.
“My mom and grandmother were both in auto accidents that might have been avoided if there were better, safer roadways,” he said. “I’ve grown tired of saying, ‘they ought to this’ or ‘they ought to that.’ Maybe I can be part of the “they” that fixes it!”
For more information about returning to school and earning a degree, contact Student Central at studentcentral@mcneese.edu or 337-475-5065.
