The American Society of Civil Engineers is America's oldest national engineering society and represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide.
ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, and advocates for increasing investment in infrastructure, engineering knowledge, and competency.
Recently, ASCE announced the 2025 New Faces of Civil Engineering in the Collegiate category.
The New Faces of Civil Engineering program highlights and celebrates up-and-coming students' academic and professional achievements.
ASCE Executive Director Tom Smith said the next generation of civil engineers will design and operate infrastructure systems that will withstand new challenges and integrate new technology. The leadership demonstrated by the students, who are recognized as ASCE's 2025 Collegiate New Faces of Civil Engineering, shows the profession's bright future.
- Giselle Alas is a third-year student at the University of Virginia. Giselle focuses on construction engineering and management to earn an MBA. Her fascination with design and construction was sparked by helping translate blueprints her father used in his work as a building painter. She's involved with UVA's concrete canoe team, where she helped develop and implement a mentoring system that has built continuity as new students join the team.
- Maryam Alrefaei is a fifth-year student at Kuwait University. Maryam sees vast potential in this career in a country where many people in high-level leadership positions are engineers. She credits her involvement with her ASCE student chapter as a springboard to her academic success. She previously served as the chapter's vice president.
- Luke Brumback is a fourth-year West Virginia University student majoring in civil engineering. Focusing on soil science, he saw firsthand the damage caused by soil erosion, making him passionate about conservation. Brumback has held leadership positions on WVU's concrete canoe and steel bridge teams and says his ASCE experience has helped him develop communication, networking, and critical thinking skills.
- Jack Bussiere is a third-year student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Jack says his time with ASCE's student chapter has driven his academic and professional success. He's the president of his student chapter, serves on the ASCE National Student Presidential Group, and looks forward to advancing the profession in his civil engineering career.
- As an elementary school student, Jonathan Liu saw Hurricane Sandy's effects on his New Jersey neighborhood. That helped lead Jonathan, a fourth-year student at Rutgers University, to civil engineering. He views the profession as an opportunity to give back to people and their communities. Liu has served as his chapter's vice president and hopes to inspire first-year students to engage with ASCE.
- Raissa Natacha Ineza was born and raised in Rwanda. She saw how infrastructure dramatically affects the quality of life. She witnessed how storms damaged or destroyed infrastructure and was inspired to become a civil engineer to help design systems that protect people and property. She's a fourth-year student at Minnesota State University pursuing a degree in structural and transportation engineering.
- Nicklas Schmidt-Bailey is a fourth-year student at Seattle University. Nicklas helped revive the school's ASCE chapter after almost all its officers graduated. He quickly rose to the role of chapter vice president and is currently the chapter president, where he works to create a more inclusive and welcoming community. Schmidt-Bailey says that seeing the bridges and skyscrapers of Chicago as a child inspired him to pursue a career in civil engineering. After graduating, he will seek an advanced degree in geotechnical engineering.
- Frederick Smith IV is a third-year student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He spent summers at his family's construction company, which supplied aggregate to local communities. He says WPI's ASCE chapter provides a community that values collaboration, diversity, and growth through activities like steel bridges and concrete canoes. He plans to pursue a career in structural engineering.
- Ritika Talwar is a fifth-year CUNY New York City College of Technology student. Ritika helped revive the school's ASCE chapter and has served as its president for the last two years. She's interned with the New York City Department of Design and Construction. She says her experience working on a project to demolish dated jail facilities affirmed her intention to focus on a career in construction.
- Yonacary "Cary" Wingard is a fourth-year student at Florida International University. She is also pursuing an accelerated master's program in structural engineering, which she began this spring. Wingard has held several leadership roles with FIU's ASCE chapter, including serving as vice president and leading the concrete canoe team. Wingard says the environmental and infrastructure challenges she witnessed growing up in Venezuela inspired her to become an engineer. After she graduates, she plans to begin her career as a project manager with a Florida construction firm.
The New Faces honorees will be recognized during ASCE's Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Gala in October and the 2025 ASCE Convention in Seattle.