OUTREACH & SERVICE
Big Bend, Texas (05/2021)
Geo-Institute Graduate Student Organization - The University of Texas at Austin (2021-2022)
President
The Geo-Institute Graduate Student Organization (GSO) at the University of Texas at Austin is a student-run organization dedicated to improving the graduate student experience within the geotechnical engineering program. As president, I worked to promote students’ engagement, facilitate their experience, and expand the reach of the organization to professional engineers and alumni. I was responsible for inviting industry professionals and academics to give weekly educational seminars, planning and coordinating social events, and launching social platforms to increase the reach of the organization to professionals and prospective students.
Dr. Hande Gerkus-Harris and Mr. Victor Vasquez from Freese and Nichols after giving a seminar to our graduate student organization
Paddling the Colorado River with the new cohort of geotechnical engineering graduate students (I'm standing at the far right!)
Taking a break from my PhD research and enjoying a friendly wallyball game with the geotechnical engineering graduate students
Geo-Institute Graduate Student Leadership Council - ASCE (2021-2022)
Chair of Grants Committee
The Geo-Institute Graduate Student Leadership Council (SLC) is a committee consisting of members from Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs) across the nation. The SLC's goal is to promote collaborations among GSOs and support fundraising activities. I served as the chair of the Grants Committee in the SLC. As part of this committee, I delivered a fundraising proposal to the Geo-Institute Student Participation Committee, which was aimed at promoting student participation and inclusion. Besides, I oversaw grant applications from GSOs across the nation to expand Geo-Institute support of student activities and increase student engagement in the Geo-Institute. I also led the Student Orientation during the 2022 Geo-Congress conference.
Graduate Student Advisory Board - The University of Texas at Austin (2021-2022)
Representative of the Geotechnical Engineering Program - Departmental Liaison
The Graduate student Advisory Board (GsAB) addresses issues that are important to students in the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering department. Being the representative of the geotechnical engineering program and the departmental liaison, I attended faculty meetings with the department chair and advisors to represent the views of graduate students and encourage activities to promote students' general welfare and mental health. The recommendations we have provided as part of the GsAB were instrumental in helping the faculty and staff understand obstacles to student success and connect student concerns with concrete action.
Explore UT - The University of Texas at Austin (2019)
Organizer and Volunteer
Explore UT is an annual, campus-wide, day-long event which invites Texans of all ages to experience robust research, hands-on demonstrations, and experiments, and participate in the richness of the university's scholarship and knowledge. Every year, the geotechnical engineering group creates an unforgettable experience for hundreds of kids, many of them future engineers. Along with other graduate students, I planned, organized, and performed the demonstrations, which are always satisfying, fun, and promote unity among our community.
Demonstrating the floating soil friction experiment, in which children experience the "magic" of geotechnical engineering
The team that planned and organized the geotechnical engineering demonstrations at Explore UT
Explaining and displaying geotechnical engineering concepts to a group of K-12 students at Explore UT