2012 EWB-PSP Executive Committee Vote

The book - Design Like You Give A Damn by Architecture for Humanity opened my eyes to a career I never knew was possible. Engineering, Design and helping others.

From the moment I first saw this book, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Shortly thereafter I traveled to Tijuana Mexico to assist in building a new home for a family living in the slums. My heart broke for the people and their situation; I knew I wanted my life to become a part of creating a solution to their plight. At this early age, (15), I set my sights on the Architectural Engineering program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with the intention to start a career in Humanitarian Engineering. After gaining early admission to Cal Poly and completing my Freshman year there - I moved to San Francisco to volunteer full time at the international headquarters of Architecture for Humanity.

My life came full circle when I was assigned to be a part of the team creating Design Like You Give a Damn Volume II. My days were filled with research and discussions of humanitarian efforts going on all around the world. My experience there was priceless and only heightened my passion to became a part of the amazing groups of people and organizations dedicated to bettering limited resource communities all over the world.

My experience in California gave me many opportunities to grow in my education and passion for this industry. I have returned to my home state of Washington to further my studies. I am thrilled to be back in the Northwest and excited to become a part of Engineers Without Boarders, Seattle. While still understanding that I have a lot to learn - I am none-the-less eager to get my hands dirty and help our efforts in anyway I can.

Anca Scaesteanu
Anca is a sustainability consultant focused on green building user experiences (environmental psychology) and Ultra-low energy buildings. She has authored letters for communication between Engineers Without Borders local chapter board and membership. She has served on Building Across Borders Fundraising Committee and the Membership committee.

From an early age I desired to become an engineer. I have always been wired to design solutions to problems or improve current designs to perform their intended function more efficiently. I was given my first opportunity to engineer products from design to final product as a high school student in my Engineering & Design program at the Sanilac County Career Center. During my junior year I worked on projects such as rat trap vehicles, full suspension vehicles, and electric vehicles. I applied for the Mini Baja team for my senior year and I was awarded the positions of assistant captain and chassis specialist. I enrolled in a college Physics course and took my first college course in order to be eligible to compete in the Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate Design Series Mini Baja Competition. Our Mini Baja team competed against college teams from around the globe. We designed, fabricated, tested, and raced our Mini Baja vehicle. We won first place at the 2003 Mini Baja winter race, and we placed 26th overall out of 122 teams at the Midwest race in Troy, Ohio. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in my engineering and design program and I knew for sure, engineering was the right career path for me. I graduated with a BSME from Kettering University in Flint, MI in June 2009. I spent my last academic term studying abroad at Hochschule Ulm, where I had the privilege of being immersed in a different culture and exploring Europe. I started my career with Boeing, the best aerospace company in the world, in May 2010. I work for 787 Flightline Support Engineering as a process engineer. Every day is filled with new opportunities and I intend to live life to the fullest. At an early age, I also developed an interest in helping others and giving back to my community through community service and philanthropy. I feel I should share my talents and use them to help others in need. It is extremely rewarding to see the impact we can all make if we use our skills to help out in our communities and around the world.

I am an Environmental Engineer working at GeoEngineers, Inc in Seattle. I graduated from UW in the spring of 2010 from which my involvement with EWB began. I was an active member of the UW EWB chapter from 2008-2011, and still keep updated on the chapter’s development. My involvement included grant writing, design, report writing, project coordination and General and EC meeting participation. I helped the UW chapter writing and editing several grants, most notably getting the first AIChE-EWB (American Chemical Engineers association) grant awarded to the chapter. I worked on several of the Bolivia projects during the time I was involved- 3 potable water projects, 1 irrigation, roads and roofs & stoves, just tried to help where ever there was a need. The team was smaller when I first got involved, quickly learned the ropes and standards EWB-USA holds the chapters up to. In the later years this helped me help new members.

On a personal level , I am native from Bolivia so I was more than happy to help the chapter once I learned about them and their work in Bolivia. I am fluent in Spanish and that has come in handy in coordinating the projects and in communicating with the locals. I am interested in helping out as student liaison for EWB-PSP because I like the energy our local college chapters have. My intent is to learn from them and see the needs they have and find the mentors/guidance they would like from us, the EWB-PSP chapter.