Civil engineering student receives national recognition
Alysha Curtis was the only girl to receive an engineering degree in her graduating class at the Higher education of the Sequoias – the place she acquired 11 associate levels including engineering, theatre and communication studies.
She transferred to Fresno Condition in 2021 to go after a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a small in construction management from the Lyles Higher education of Engineering. And now she has been honored as the 2022 Collegiate New Facial area of Civil Engineering by the American Modern society of Civil Engineers.
“This is possibly the most important recognition I have received,” Curtis reported. “Many periods during my educational occupation I have been the only lady in a space total of guys so acquiring this honor verified that I chose the appropriate route.”
The New Faces of Civil Engineering system highlights 10 up-and-coming civil engineering leaders from all around the country and celebrates their tutorial achievements and commitment to serving other people.
Curtis’s advocacy do the job began while attending COS when she became associated in the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement Plan and Pupils Integrating Numerical Schooling club.
She also volunteered for the Tulare County Place of work of Education’s Expanding Your Horizons method for a few years. The plan features palms-on actions and workshops for girls in grades 4 by means of 12 led by ladies in STEM-associated professions.
“For me, it is often about being the girl or the individual that I needed to have as a position model when I was a kid, and so by supplying other people the opportunities I wish I experienced, that is truly what drives me,” Curtis reported.
When the COVID-19 pandemic strike, Curtis did K-12 outreach by means of the Ignite Your Curiosity system, which hosts regular monthly webinars for students to listen to from a variety of industries and take a look at occupation possibilities.
Curtis turned president of Fresno State’s American Modern society of Civil Engineers university student chapter this year. She is also energetic with the Society’s world University student Presidential Team where by she represents the Construction Institute and Pupil Ambassador Program and will help to elevate the voices of pupils in society decision-generating.
“This recognition is rather outstanding,” reported Dr. Kimberly Stillmaker, associate professor of civil engineering at Fresno State. “I imagine it speaks to the top quality of students that we have here at Fresno State and Alysha, in unique, is quite fantastic. She is remarkably immersed in ASCE and is executing a phenomenal job foremost our chapter.”
Curtis is also seriously associated in the Culture of Women Engineers and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers scholar chapters.
“One of the factors that actually impressed me when I met her was her concentration on diversity, equity and inclusion and the will need for that in this field,” Stillmaker explained . “Women are underrepresented in STEM, as perfectly as some minority teams, and it’s important that they feel and see that engineering is for them.”
In addition to countrywide recognition, Curtis was also named the 2022-23 Outstanding Civil Engineering Pupil for the San Francisco Area and Fresno Dad or mum Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She was also awarded the 2022 Design Institute College student Days Most effective Speaker Award.
Originally preparing to target on water, she was just one of the captains of the Fresno Condition drinking water treatment method group that competes yearly at the Mid-Pacific Meeting ahead of acquiring her calling in the geotechnical branch of civil engineering. Curtis said she was drawn to operating with soil and seeing how it can deal with the weight of buildings.
“I have a deep passion for water, and I have a deep enthusiasm for our atmosphere so almost everything that I have performed is truly to support make guaranteed all the things below and previously mentioned ground moving forward is going to be additional sustainable and also much more environmentally pleasant,” Curtis reported.
Curtis credits her three-calendar year internship with the USDA All-natural Assets Conservation Provider that concluded earlier this calendar year for delivering her with the chances to get hands-on expertise as an engineer though being real to her ethics.
Curtis programs on entering the design market following graduating and locating a enterprise that performs with sustainable infrastructure. She also programs on returning to Fresno State to go after a master’s degree.
“I just actually want to encourage the subsequent generation and I hope that when they see or listen to about the operate that I’ve finished then it’s possible they will say, ‘I need to have to test engineering,’” Curtis mentioned.
