Claire Rumsey has found ways to strengthen her knowledge and passion for learning through her experiences with a well-known civil engineering society.
When Claire Rumsey first stepped foot on York College of Pennsylvania’s campus as a first-year student, it was not in the fall with the rest of the incoming Class of 2026. Having just transferred after spending a semester at Harrisburg Area Community College, Rumsey knew she would be starting in a different place than most of her classmates, one that many might say could put her at a disadvantage. However, Rumsey’s determination to pursue a Civil Engineering degree and excel in her studies motivated her to push forward.
It wasn’t long before Rumsey’s professors began to notice the time and strong effort she put into her civil engineering studies. After several recommendations and encouraging emails from them, Rumsey soon found herself a member of one of the most well-known and renowned civil engineering societies in the nation: the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
The ASCE is a foundation and professional development group established in 1852. Their commitment lies in sustaining and advancing the civil engineering field through educating their members and providing them opportunities to connect with one another, regardless of the distance.
“They help all aspects of your career as civil engineers,” Rumsey said. “They hold lots of conferences, lots of workshops, but it’s a worldwide group that you can be involved with as a civil engineer.”
Since transferring to York College in the spring of 2023, Rumsey has been an active member of the ASCE Student Chapter at York College. Her first-year duties included sending emails and posting about ASCE events on social media. A year later, Rumsey became vice president of the York College Chapter. Once again, Rusmey’s growth and success caught the eye of one of her professors, who told her about a way she could continue to serve ASCE at a higher level.
Now, Rumsey enters her junior year representing the college as one of 27 ambassadors selected to represent the program and York College nationally. While the York College of Pennsylvania ASCE Chapter has around 120 members, Rumsey is the second student from York College to be selected for the ambassador program. Rumsey described the selection process as “very competitive,” making the honor that much more special for her.
Taking Action
As an ambassador, many of her responsibilities involve promoting ASCE resources and major events each month. Often, the question the foundation asks itself and its members is “how can we promote ASCE and connect with students” in the most effective way? When asked about what ASCE had been up to recently, Rumsey happily shared two recent experiences that the ambassadors spearheaded.
In September, Rumsey and the ambassadors were tasked with promoting the many undergraduate scholarships that ASCE offered. The US-based scholarships alone totaled around $200,000 nationally, with many more scholarship opportunities available from local and regional ASCE chapters. Rumsey assisted by hanging up posters at York College with information, talking to students, and posting on social media about the fantastic opportunities being offered.
Most recently in October, Rumsey revealed how ASCE would be distributing a movie called Cities of the Future. The IMAX film, adapted into a more shareable format, depicts a futuristic world with an overarching message about how aging infrastructure needs to become a serious focus in the United States. Rumsey highlighted that the evolving landscape of our aging infrastructure presents numerous challenges, and civil engineers play a crucial role in addressing them.
“This movie depicts something ASCE worked a long time on to display what a futuristic world could look like and the possibilities of civil engineering,” Rumsey said. “Our world will be changing faster than ever.”
Rumsey will be assisting in displaying the movie in early November.
Impacts and Looking to the Future
When asked about what the biggest takeaways from the program were, Rumsey emphasized the importance of communication and networking when being a member. The foundation is all about sharing knowledge and creating connections that will not only benefit individuals in the future but also the way they will shape the world of infrastructure and engineering.
This is even more important now, especially for young people in their college years. We live in a world dominated by technology, making it difficult to establish meaningful connections when people would rather look at a screen. Distance doesn’t make things any easier, so that is why Rumsey and other members of the ASCE are looking for creative ways of “connecting with people face to face” through Zoom calls, conferences, and utilizing platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
There are benefits for graduates as well. Not only does membership hold a great amount of prominence in the civil engineering community, but attending events allows civil engineers to obtain professional development hours, something they require in order to become and maintain their status as professional engineers.
The ASCE is always looking for new members within the engineering field, but Rumsey firmly believes that the ambassador program is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of.
“Just be honest with your application. Don’t shy away from anything,” Rumsey said. “If you are interested, apply. The worst thing that can happen is you don’t get it, but everyone at ASCE on the ambassador program looks at your application. That’s the most important part because even that lets you make connections.”
Interested in civil engineering or the resources ASCE has to offer? ASCE’s 172nd anniversary is on November 5th, 2024. Join Rumsey in celebrating the spirit of ASCE by visiting ASCE.org or seeing how you can get involved with your school’s chapter today.
