Cynthia Hua: Finding a Niche at CAEE
Architectural engineering student Cynthia Hua believes that more engineers are desperately needed throughout the world.
Unlike many of our undergraduates, fourth-year Architectural Engineering major Cynthia Hua came to CAEE by happenstance. As a matter of fact, CAEE was her second choice. Now that she is far along in the program, she is grateful for the twist of fate that led her to this path.
"Once I got in," she says, "I realized how lucky I was to be a part of the program, and I completely LOVE what I’m doing."
Architectural Engineering (AE)deals with all engineering aspects of building performance, integrated with the building’s architectural requirements. At The University of Texas at Austin AE includes structural engineering, construction engineering and project management, construction materials, and building environmental systems. Hua’s area of focus is in structural engineering, which includes the design and analysis of the building for strength, serviceability, and cost-effectiveness in resisting vertical forces due to gravity and lateral forces due to wind or earthquake.
Hua is from Sugar Land, Texas and is the first in her family to attend college. She is president of the student chapter of AEI the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) at UT Austin and is a Peer Mentor. She also volunteers for the Cockrell School of Engineering as a Women in Engineering Program (WEP) PAL, providing support to first year engineering women by serving as a resource and role model.
"I decided to get involved just because at first I didn’t know anything about what being an ArchE, let alone an engineer, meant," says Hua. "Once I joined all of these organizations, I met many cool people and they have been a great social network for me to look to for guidance."
In Summer 2007, she was a student mentor for the Honor’s Colloquium. Each summer, the University of Texas at Austin brings together young scholars from around the state and region to show them various academic programs and what college life is like. The first part of the week was geared specifically towards women in engineering, and Hua helped mentor high school seniors. The WEP program also provided design challenges and exercises that gave a brief glimpse of what it takes to be an engineer.
Cynthia helps provide support to first year engineering women as a WEP volunteer.
The high school participants also attended classes about topics relevant to today’s engineering standards. Hua was impressed to see the level of comprehension that some of the students had. "Hearing a 17-year-old explain the idea of ‘load distribution’ caught me off guard one time. I don’t believe I had a clue what that meant when I was 17," she says.
Throughout the school year, she also gave weekly tours to prospective students. She was able to describe her experiences as an engineering student at UT and to give practical advice and insight to the prospective students that they wouldn’t be able to gain through a brochure.
Hua says, "I really like the close-knittedness of the department. Being an ArchE means being part of a small program, and, by now, I pretty much know everyone in the department at some level or another. It’s a nice feeling to just be able to walk down the hallways and say ‘hi’ to someone you know. It also helps when you need advice and there is always someone willing to help you out."
She also feels right at home in Austin. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her friends, play basketball or guitar, and cook. Since she came from the suburbs of Houston, Hua appreciates Austin’s many original restaurants and shops and the variety of things to do. She advises incoming students to "get plugged in, fast," and she thinks that finding a "family" helps make the transition from high school to college much easier.
Currently, Hua in the process of applying for grad school and also hopes to do some missionary work in third world countries as soon as she graduates. She wholeheartedly believes that the engineering profession is desperately needed in the world, whether providing a clean water supply or adequate infrastructure so emergency vehicles can travel to remote cities.