Samuel Akinyemi, PE
Founder of Mercy Environmental Consultants and Engineers
I have always been someone who wanted to fix things. When I was young, I learned how to repair everything I could around the house so my family never had to wait. I did not know it then, but those moments were the beginning of the engineer I would eventually become.
How It Started
My awareness of environmental justice started when I moved from Newark New Jersey to Vienna Virginia in high school. It was the first time in my life when I realized the water tasted different and even the air smelled different. That move made something very clear. Quality of life should never be tied to income or race, but I was living in two different worlds only a few states apart.
Becoming an Engineer and a Servant
My career took me across the country to Los Angeles, and that city changed me. I met people who shaped the way I see the world and what it means to serve. I fell in love with the city and with the idea that I could make life easier for the people I cared about. I realized that engineering for me was never just about the numbers. It was about the people behind the numbers.
A Defining Project
My most pivotal engineering project was with Granite Construction supporting a mine in Poway. I was trusted with more than production and permitting. I was responsible for the relationships surrounding the mine. The neighbors. The regulators. The staff. The leadership. Each group wanted something different, and I had to find solutions that were not easily calculated. It was the first time I understood that engineering was as much about people as it was about systems.
My Superpower
My superpower is my curiosity. I embrace change because I am genuinely curious about what is possible. If there is a faster way, a more reliable way, or even a strange and unexpected way, I want to learn it. Innovation does not scare me. It excites me.
Awards and Recognition
I have been honored to receive the CalCIMA Young Engineer of the Year award in 2020 and the Tesla Penguin Award in 2024 for most outstanding and innovative employee. Awards are never the mission, but they remind me that curiosity and service go a long way.
Missions and What It Taught Me
My most meaningful missions experience was in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. I spent two months living with families whose resilience reshaped the way I understand love. When you spend every single day pursuing the same goal with the same people, they stop being strangers. They become family. My heart grew more compassionate, and I learned that relationships are my most valuable resource.
Personal Life
My nieces are my reminder that life does not have to be stressful. You can just be with the people you love. Basketball for me is the same. It is less about competing and more about a fixed time where I get to spend time with my people.
How I See My Work
I do not try to balance missions, engineering, and law. I just try to be fully present. I do not stop being a missionary when I am in the office. I do not stop being an engineer when I am with people. I do not stop being a future law student when I am navigating difficult questions. All of it is who I am, all the time.
Vision for Mercy Environmental
My long term vision for the company is to create a place where people can access high quality engineering and trusted legal guidance, especially in communities that need support the most. Even if all we do is point someone in the right direction, we will be serving the mission. I want to help communities through excellence, compassion, and solutions that actually make life better. I want to love people so well that they have to reconsider what love means.
Work With Me
If you want to collaborate, build solutions, or explore how we can support your community, reach out below.
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