Architectural Engineering
Post-graduation plans:听traveling this summer and fall before going into renewable energy policy
The Community Impact Award听recognizes undergraduate students who contribute to improving their department/program, college, university, and/or local community.
What is your favorite memory from your time at CU Boulder?
There have been so many spectacular moments, but I think one of the most meaningful was finally meeting all of the members of my cohort in the Presidents Leadership Class in person. We attended class together on Zoom for the entirety of my freshman year, but we didn't all meet until the beginning of our sophomore year. This taught us to never take our time together for granted.
What accomplishment are you most proud of, either academically or personally?
I am proud that I have transformed into a more engaged and hopeful citizen while at CU. Last summer, I headed to DC to intern for a Colorado congresswoman and learn new ways to apply my engineering background and advocate for my state. Writing legislative memos and attending briefings about extreme heat resilience and protecting homes from floods reiterated the 鈥渨hy鈥� of my degree on a federal scale. Standing in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda with fellow Coloradans while I shared its architectural history was one of the most inspiring moments of my life.
Tell us about a moment (or moments) when you felt like you hit your stride or felt like you were 鈥渙fficially鈥� an engineer.
I have lived in Colorado my entire life, and my time at CU equipped me with the skills to serve the community that raised me. After my professors and friends lost their homes in the Marshall Fire, I worked on legislation for a statewide wildfire building code through the Colorado Science and Engineering Policy Fellowship the following summer. Balancing technical research, emotional anecdotes and political tension proved challenging and deeply personal along the way. Many wildfire-resilient building materials are effective, but homeowners sought familiarity in a time of utter shock, wanting to rebuild their homes as they were. Firefighters recounted stories of ripping off wood paneling and decks in frantic efforts to save homes as we walked through burned and leveled subdivisions. Colorado鈥檚 urban-rural divide emerged as a city official expressed fear that a new building code would exhaust their limited resources and staff. This experience proved to me that being an engineer means being willing to create change and tackle complex problems in our communities.
What was the biggest challenge for you during your engineering education? What did you learn from it?
Throughout my four years at CU, I struggled to balance various academic and extracurricular commitments and often tried to take on too much. Finding the trade-off between quality and quantity was incredibly tricky for me. I've had to learn my limits and set better boundaries for myself. Rest is so important and needs to be prioritized despite the craziness of college.
What is your biggest piece of advice for incoming engineering students?
Reflecting on these diverse experiences, the advice I have for other engineering students is to consider the why of your degree, not only the what or the how. Join the club that sounds interesting or wacky because you never know what friendships it will bring. Attend office hours and get to know your professors as people, as their origin stories and areas of passion will never cease to inspire. Understand why you are studying engineering and how your degree fits into a broader social issue, no matter what that issue may be. Design technologies, cure diseases and study building materials for people first and foremost. Express gratitude early and often. You will never regret thanking your mentors, family and peers for helping you. And above all, take time to rest and invest in a robust infrastructure of relationships.