Civil Engineering

Why Civil Engineering?

I was one of those kids that always played with legos and always wanted to do hands on projects in order to see it grow from ground up. Since I was a child, I guess I always knew deep inside that I wanted to pursue something in the construction/engineering field but didn't even know what engineers did until I researched it during my senior year in high school. I actually was planning on going into Architecture because of my passion of drawing and creativity but did a last minute adjustment. I was good in applied math and loved it, so close relatives and friends recommended me to go into engineering since it requires both. This is when I started my research on the different kinds of engineering fields and what exactly each one did. After much hard thinking, I landed on civil engineering. Civil engineers design, construct, and maintain public infrastructure to help improve civilization. Each day, new conflicts arise that affect the public and it is up to civil engineers to ensure that these conflicts are dealt with as economically and ethically as possible. On the other hand, civil engineers continue to come up with new and innovative solutions to help solve these issues before they become a problem. Civil engineering is what keeps our society going. 

I started pursuing my civil engineering degree at UTA on the fall semester of 2012 and haven't regretted a single bit of it. Knowing that I will be apart of a globalization field to help solve everyday problems and making everyday life more efficient gives me a sense of purpose in life. In other words, I chose to major in civil engineering because I like math, love helping people, and enjoy seeing something go from nothing to something.

Motivation

Walking down anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex area and now in Valencia, you see beautiful rising buildings and bridges and I couldn't help but to think what the process it went through in order for it to be built at its exact location. That it was once an idea on paper and now transformed into this amazing infrastructure that will benefit all. This fascinated me and ultimately what motivated me into choosing civil engineering and specializing in structures. I wanted to be apart of that process and contribute to the bigger picture which is making a better and more efficient future. I also joined the Steel Bridge team through the American Society of Civil Engineers (UTA Chapter) and I would say this was a huge factor in reassuring myself that I wanted to specialize in structures.  In the steel bridge team we designed and constructed a steel bridge from scratch in a certain time frame for competition against other universities. This experience has shown me in a small scale how a structural project goes, how to deal with the many problems that arose, and how to work as a team with different backgrounds to achieve a common goal. The picture above shows my construction team having fun at the steel bridge competition this passed April and the picture below shows our final bridge we built.

My Contribution to Civil Engineering

I expect to bring my academic knowledge as well as my personal experience into the profession to make infrastructure better for the public. Being in Spain, I've noticed that they are more conservative and greener than in the United States. Bringing back some of Spain's ideas can possibly improve the civil engineering field in the United States by generating better and greener solutions to the many pollution and energy source issues we have. This knowledge shouldn't just be shared with United States but also with the whole world. Being apart of this abroad research program will hopefully give me an idea on how to work together with a different culture to achieve better solutions that will benefit the whole world. This knowledge will able me to contribute the different ideas I've learned for a better future no matter where I go.

My Goals

Being a civil engineer will help me not only reach my professional goals but also my professional goals. You'll acquire certain skills when going through civil engineering such as thinking critically and creatively, perseverance, completing challenging tasks in a certain time frame, and time management skills. These skills will help me reach my long term personal goal of becoming a comedian and short term goal of pursuing carpentry. I love wood working and acting silly, making people laugh. My long term professional goal is to acquire my professional license and open up an engineering firm with a few friends. For my short goals, I hope to pass my fundamental exam and gain as much knowledge from my peers and mentors on each project that I do. As I said before, it amazes me how a bridge or building starts from an empty lot with dirt into this majestic masterpiece. To me this is art. Bottom line is, civil engineering has made me learn certain valuable skills that will help me reach any goal I have. 

I never would of thought in all my life I would be in Spain doing research in the field that I feel so passionate about. Exploring Spain has only spiked my interest in civil engineering. The two pictures above from the huge park that surrounds the center of Valencia (The Turia Riverbed Park) and aesthetically pleasing bridge crossing the park. This park was once a river. There was a horrible flood that flooded the city so they decided to divert the river somewhere else and convert it into a park. It was amazing hearing this story and how Valencia solved a major problem while still preserving the nature and history around it. It is interesting also the culture and the way they do things here in Spain. Our mentors are helping us out getting use to the customs here and the work day schedule. All in all, I'm ecstatic to be here and to learn the rich culture of Spain!!! Til' next time. Hasta luego!!