FINALIST - 2007

Margaret Garcia I think in a way everyone is born with a cause. I am not so much of a hippie that I believe we should all be standing on the picket lines but I am convinced that after awhile we all find our passions, our causes. We find them in the work and fun that we share. Many of us find our passions here at Lafayette. I think that is ideal: to find what drives you from the core and dive in. When I first got to Lafayette I wanted to try everything. Excited about any cause of humanity, any unsolved puzzle or any new way to pass the time between midnight and 3 a.m., my four years of college were a chaos of exploration amidst filled agendas, little sleep and distant dreams. Out of the tumble one experience will surely stick with me. In Engineers Without Borders I worked with an amazingly dedicated group of students on the design and implementation of drinking water systems in rural Honduras. We worked hand in hand with the community members learning from one another to create the best project possible. Working on our water distribution project I saw the intense connection between an engineer and the people she engineers for. When I met with the water board and when I talked to all the people in the village I felt a strong sense of responsibility to them. The water distribution project is not technically complex but it taught me the complexity of engineering. I saw it all coming together: social justice, engineering problem solving, language, culture, sustainability, my world of interests in three letters E-W-B. From the first time I traveled to the villages of Lagunitas and La Fortuna EWB went from an interest to a passion; it became my cause.

 

Majors: Civil Engineering and International Studies
Thesis: Improving Evaluation Methods for Small Water Systems to Aid Sustainable Design


Academic Activities

• Marquis Scholar (1,2,3,4)
• EXCEL Research with Professor Kney on “Water treatment wetlands” (2,3)
• Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors Society) (3,4)
• Phi Beta Kappa (3,4)
• Dean's List (1,2,4)
• Carroll Phillips Bassett Prize in Civil Engineering (4)
• Senior Thesis - Improving Evaluation Methods for Small Water Systems to Aid Sustainable Design (4)
• Poster Presenter, American Society for Engineering Education Global Colloquium - Facilitating an Undergraduate Service-Learning Effort to Provide Sustainable Rural Infrastructure in Developing Countries (4)
• Poster Presenter, Engineering Sustainability Conference - Integrating Sustainability Topics into Civil Infrastructure Management Courses (4)
• Presenter, Engineers Without Borders International Conference (2)

Campus Activities

• Co-Chair, United Against Hate Week (1,4)
• Tutor (3)
• Diversity Roundtable Representative (4)

Community Service

• Habitat for Humanity (1)
• Trail Cleanup (1)

Athletics

• Crew Team (1,2,3)
• Yoga (4)

Special Interest

• Students for Social Justice (SSJ) (1,2,3,4)
• SSJ President/Co-President (2,4)
• Engineers Without Borders (1,2,3,4)
• EWB President (3,4)
• Team Leader, for EWB-Lafayette in EPA’s P3 competition (3)
• American Society of Civil Engineers (2,3,4)
• LEAP (1,2)
• QuEST (4)
• Performer, ALF’s reflections (1)
• Justice Equality Ecology Floor (1,2)