I first became a member of Engineers Without Borders as a freshman, where I joined Rice's Nicaragua 1 bridge team, and have since been heavily involved in the organization. I took over as project leader for the team in Spring 2008 and led travel teams of six to eight students on three trips to Nicaragua to assess for the final bridge project implementation. The trips were wonderful experiences, and it was eye-opening to see the possibilities that simple engineering projects can create for people in developing countries.To see more pictures of the places we visited and the work we did, visit the Photo Album. 

The experience as project leader motivated me to take the position of training coordinator for the chapter and lead training sessions for the students in EWB. One of the fundamental purposes of the organization is to educate engineers on how to be well-rounded and globally-minded engineers with a passion for using their knowledge and abilities to help others. I was also able to learn about many topics, ranging from water purification to pipeline engineering to health campaign design. The experience really opened my eyes to the need that exists in many developing countries around the world, and how most of those needs can be solved with relatively simple engineering solutions. 

My senior year at Rice, I became president of EWB at Rice. It was a great experience being able to guide the organization and its four projects over the course of the year. I also directed the fundraising of the tens of thousands of dollars necessary to run the organization, which was a new experience that really invigorated me about the business world and leadership in general. I was able to develop my leadership abilities first-hand by diving in and actually leading an organization, which turned out to be the best possible way for me to learn about being a leader. The experience was very rewarding, as I was able to work with a wonderful group of people who made the work fun as well as productive. 

If you would like more information about Engineers Without Borders-USA or the Rice University chapter, or you would like to donate to the organization, please visit the links below. 

As a new student at Rice, I was placed at Brown College, one of the eleven residential colleges on campus (think Harry Potter). I loved my time at Brown, and the people at the college, which motivated me to help out with the orientation week. During O-Week, new students go through a week of fun activities, academic advising, and introductory talks aimed at acclimating the new students to life in college. As a sophomore and again as a junior, I served as a member of an advising team, working with two other students to lead a group of seven new students though O-Week. It was an amazing experience, and it helped to form bonds and friendships that will likely last long past graduation. 

As a Senior, I took my passion for O-Week at Brown to the next level as one of three O-Week coordinators. The coordinators spend half of the spring and the entire summer before O-Week preparing the activities, selecting advisors, and pairing new students with their roommates. It was a lot of work getting everything ready for the 100+ new students, including designing a book full of useful information for each new student. Luckily I worked with a wonderful team, and we had a blast going through all the preparations for the week. I most enjoyed the actual orientation week, as I was finally able to meet all the new faces that we had read so much about, and we were able to see the fruits of our labor finally pay off. It was a great experience and a wonderful chance to continue to develop my leadership knowledge and abilities.