23 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2023 – 11 of 23

Name: Farrah Etcheverry
Company: Etcheverry Land Surveying LLC. (ELS)              
Current position: Co-owner and Survey Technician
Age: 29               

Education: Associates Degree from Yavapai College, currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Land Surveying and Mapping with an emphasis on photogrammetry from East Tennessee State University

Working under her RLS father for the last several years has given Etcheverry some fun perspective on surveying and small business ownership. Whether she is in the field or engaging with others on Instagram, she is passionate about advocating for the younger generation to look seriously at land surveying as a fulfilling and profitable career. She has worked hard to begin important conversations about inclusivity in the field, breaking long-held stereotypes about what a land surveyor looks like.  

She is an ambassador for the “Get Kids into Survey” movement, with the goal of teaching students about the amazing technology that surveyors use every day to help build society. She has worked with NSPS and is a founding member of the Young Surveyors’ Network in her home state of Arizona. She continues her outreach by participating in podcasts and panels discussing the benefits of working as a land surveyor.   

Etcheverry has been featured in xyHt magazine and The Oregon Surveyor, highlighting her use of social media to introduce people to surveying. She has put together case studies for 3D Survey and offered her insights as a female surveyor to Trimble during international women’s day. She was nominated by Felco Industries for Women in Construction Week 2022.   

Some of Etcheverry’s favorite parts of her job include piloting a drone for topographic work and building 3D deliverables for her clients. She enjoys the treasure hunting aspect of land surveying and getting to explore land that would otherwise go untouched. She likes the challenge of working through chain of title and writing legal descriptions and loves retracing old boundaries and spending time with her dad in the field.   

Using her social media presence, she aims to show that you do not have to fit into any premade box to become a land surveyor, she hopes that her content inspires others and creates an environment for open dialog and new ways of thinking in her industry.