In my everyday life I often find myself considering how things around me could be better designed. Generally these are insignificant issues, like a poorly designed door handle or an un-ergonomic chair. Other times, however, the issues are on a grander scale. A traffic light that causes never ending backups. A public bus transport system that forces the primarily lower income students that use it to choose between getting help after school or having to wait until an evening bus. It is the opportunity to fix those design problems that gravitates me towards civil engineering. Because of this, I am especially excited about the opportunities Northwestern offers to gain experience in engineering while helping local and global communities. By participating in a program like the Civic Engagement Certificate, I will be able to begin achieving my career goal of bettering communities through civil engineering as I am completing my education.
Within civil engineering I am most interested in transportation engineering. Because of this, Northwestern’s pioneering transport center is a huge draw for me. Past research at the center such as work on utilizing the network-like structure of urban areas to improve school bus routing truly excites me, and I would love to participate in similar research in the future. Northwestern’s transportation and logistics minor is also a unique offering that I would love to take advantage of. By combining engineering and economics in such an interdisciplinary program, the minor would expand my horizons as an engineer and better prepare me to tackle the socio-economic challenges facing communities.
Northwestern’s strong commitment to social justice and emphasis on innovation and community improvement perfectly align with my career goals and what draws me to civil engineering. Combined with extremely prestigious academics, these commitments make the Northwestern experience a perfect fit for my future.