Hello, my name is Alice Toschak, and I am a sophmore at Cal Poly Pomona. I am pursuing a civil engineering major because I am passionate about improving the environment and I love problem solving. I frequently watched nature documentaries growing up, and I admired the beauty of the world around us. I also liked building at home experiments from books I would get from the library. In high school, I took AP Environmental Science to learn more about ecosystems and our natural resources. While I gained a better understanding of the relationships between organisms and their habitats, I learned about the positive and negative effects humans have too. What particularly interested me was how we handle our water resources. Freshwater is a necessity for our good quality of life, but we struggle with pollution and using too much water very quickly. I am thankful that we have an elaborate aqueduct system in my home state of California that supports our lifestyle, yet at the same time I am saddened when I see the effects our water use has on the Owens and Mono lakes in Owens Valley. Another class I took in high school was AP Calculus because I enjoyed figuring out complex equations and I wanted to challenge myself. I did struggle in the beginning, yet this taught me to ask questions and use the resources provided to succeed. When picking my college major, I chose civil engineering with an environmental emphasis so I could focus on my ambitions in math and water resource infrastructure. This aligns with my career aspirations because I plan to get a job where I can improve water quality for the average citizen and increase recycled water use. My goal is to help our society move towards sustainable and reliable water use, which will benefit both people and the environment. Another source of motivation for becoming a civil engineer comes from my father. He is a civil engineer, and growing up he would take me on visits to his work. Through him, I have become familiar with the civil engineering work environment, and his example and support drives me to do my best as I work towards my career goals. I am thankful to be pursuing my passion in civil engineering, yet the financial burden placed on me and my family by tuition and student housing costs can be stressful. To help me focus more on my studies, I moved on campus to avoid the over 2-hour round trip commute I had to take from my home daily. Without needing to deal with the long and tiring drive, I had more time to work on class assignments, become more involved on campus, and I was less mentally exhausted at the end of the day. While I did improve in my classes, the cost of housing more than doubled my school expenses. To help pay for these costs, I’ve applied to a variety of scholarships and am working as an intern for a state transportation agency. I am willing to put in the work necessary to fund my education, and any help I can receive would be greatly appreciated.

I love math because it encourages learning from mistakes. Math problems tend to have a set solution, which drives people to collaborate to find the answer. Getting the solution to a problem can be extremely satisfying and fuels a passion for doing math. Growing up, my Dad would help me when I encountered problems with math homework. I would be afraid of how long his explanations could be, but I knew his help always led me to the answer. He would have me show him my thought process, then he would ask me questions about certain steps I took. As I'd explain my thoughts, I'd realize the mistakes I had made and be able to get to the solution. Through this method, I learned the importance of patience and began to develop critical thinking skills I could use throughout life. In middle school, I spent my first year in a normal math class. Near the end of the year came the opportunity to test into a more advanced math class. Initially, I was reluctant to try because I had failed the testing a year prior, but my teacher encouraged me to take it because they believed I had the skills to pass. With their support, I took the test and passed, and stayed in advanced math courses until the end of high school. Looking back, I am thankful for the support of that teacher because it has impacted years of my life. Had I let my previous failure decide my actions, I would have lost the opportunity to challenge myself and grow my abilities. This taught me that failure is alright and natural, and that despite it we must seize the chance to improve. In my final years of high school, I began to struggle more with math. The more complex questions became, the more steps there would be, and I could get overwhelmed in the process. Though I was shy, I pushed myself to talk to classmates and teachers to understand what I needed to do to succeed. I was able to gain help from those around me and offered it to others too. I learned how to communicate with others and not hesitate to get help. Today, I am in college using the skills math has taught me to thrive in math and other activities both in and outside of school; and that is why I love math.

I am pursuing a degree in civil engineering because I want to care for our environment. While I have always wanted to play a bigger part in how humans interact with nature, the decision to become a civil engineer was influenced by my father. He is a civil engineer and has shown me the challenges and opportunities that come with this career. In grade school, my father would take me to visit his work. There, I learned about engineers' day-to-day tasks. What interested me the most were the project plans my dad worked on. It fascinated me that my dad got to build things people would use daily. Though I was intrigued by my dad's job, I did not consider following the same path as him until my senior year of high school. In high school, I explored topics that interested me. I grew up watching nature documentaries like national geographic and enjoyed learning about the different ecosystems in the world, so I took AP Environmental Science. Through this class, I learned about renewable resources, biomes, energy sources, and sustainability. I also love solving problems, so I took advanced math classes to challenge myself. Though I experienced new struggles with multi-step problems, I had teachers who were glad to answer my questions and help me succeed. I gained a better appreciation for math and was able to pass all 8 semesters with A's. Learning about pollution, overpopulation, and the ways people affect their surroundings, I realized the problem-solving steps for math can be applied to environmental issues. The connections between humans and nature were fascinating and disheartening. What caught my attention the most was how we handle our water resources. While many have access to running water in their homes, this water is not always the cleanest. We also waste water excessively and make it unsuitable for use by polluting it. Having water is completely normal to us but most do not realize what a valuable resource it is. Viewing water as a resource motivated me to pursue a career where I could improve the efficient use of water and preserve the environment. After finishing my first semester at Cal Poly Pomona, I am glad to be studying civil engineering. I learned how to use CAD and write field reports. I was also able to connect with other engineering students and learn about career opportunities through various clubs like ASCE. Though I am just starting my time in college, I can tell that I chose the correct major for me, and I am excited to gain more skills that will help me follow my passions. With a civil engineering degree, I can help communities that are impacted by floods or other natural disasters by building infrastructure that can withstand these events. Using quality materials and the correct building techniques can improve the ability of structures to withstand harsh conditions. To protect against floods, I would use local vegetation and plants that originate from areas prone to flooding to help stabilize soil and prevent mudslides. These types of plants can also absorb more water and filter it, reducing the impact of floods and making the water available to communities. I would also plan communities in a way that when a flood occurs, the water flows out of the city to a nearby water source, allowing recovery to begin quicker and letting the water reenter the environment.