major Karla Pineda鈥檚 undergraduate career is about to听end.听Yet,听as she prepares to embark on her she听reflects on听what inspired her to study civil听engineering.听
Born in El Salvador,听Pineda听and her family听moved to听Northern Virginia听when she was听4 years old. She always had an interest in STEM and loved working on tangible projects, so she quickly realized civil engineering was her path.听
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But听visits back to El Salvador听led听her听to听concentrate on transportation听engineering.听鈥淲hen听I traveled home, it was hard to see the harsh difference in infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure, and that made me more interested in the transportation side of civil engineering,鈥 she says.听
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Pineda is听specifically听interested in听the intersection between transportation and sustainability. 鈥淚n El Salvador, and many other places, you can clearly see how pollution has affected the lands and the communities.听I听know we can do better, we have one earth, and we have to make changes.鈥澨
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She sees transportation as an accessible path to pursue sustainable efforts because almost everyone uses some form of transportation regularly. 鈥淭here are little modifications we can make in transportation engineering that will have a huge impact,鈥 says Pineda.听Changes like recycling asphalt, using more sustainable materials, and adjusting one鈥檚 lifestyle can make a difference.听
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Mason鈥檚 student club, Engineers for International Development (EfID),听fascinated听Pineda because of听their mission to tackle these grand challenges, one small change at a time.听Currently, she serves as the vice president and works with the president and听the executive board to coordinate events centered around sustainability.听听
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鈥淭ypically, we take a trip down to Ecuador in the winter and summer to help a village build a sustainable water supply, but with COVID-19, we haven鈥檛 been able to do that,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e have gotten creative to help the village from a distance and creating other socially distanced events.听We鈥檝e hosted a few tree听planting听events throughout the community, and I worked with other members of the club to translate guides and information to send to the village in Ecuador.鈥澨
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As part of her accelerated master鈥檚 program in transportation engineering, Pineda has already started taking graduate courses during her undergraduate education. She says she chose the accelerated master鈥檚 option because it made sense听for her long-term career goals听and allows her to learn more about transportation engineering.听鈥淕etting a master鈥檚 in one year instead of two is a great opportunity. I get to take graduate courses in my undergraduate career, and in five years, I come out with a solid foundation of knowledge in civil听and transportation engineering,鈥 she says.听听
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鈥淚 love school, I love to learn, and the bachelor鈥檚 program gives a strong foundation in civil engineering, but I want to be prepared for a career in transportation engineering,鈥 says Pineda.听
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