Cassandra Prince, EIT, a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, has been giving back to her alma mater by serving as mentor via the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Austin Branch’s UT Austin Mentoring Program.

This program encourages volunteers to serve as mentors for seniors in UT Austin’s Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering Department. Prince started with the program last Fall and is serving again this semester, providing guidance to students enrolled in the department’s Professionalism course.

Students in this class have the opportunity to work on real-world projects from beginning to end, including site visits, 30-60-90-100% submittals, and stakeholder/client meetings.

“It’s a truly rewarding experience for everyone involved,” Prince said. “The students receive valuable experience through working on engineering projects and making connections with mentors who can provide advice and opportunities in the future. The mentors get to share experiences from their professional lives and see firsthand the upcoming industry talent. Because the students are becoming familiar with our company, STV has the opportunity to recruit and establish a network with these engineers who STV employees mentored. Mentoring has been invaluable for me and continues to remind me of the importance of project schedules and staying in touch with the community we serve.”