Hey guys! Not only has winter break already ended but also the first week of school is over! 2013 was a great year but I am thinking that 2014 is going to be even better – it’s off to a great start so far!
This winter break I went back home to Austin to spend some time with my family. After Christmas we drove up to Santa Fe, NM for a week getaway. We went cross-country skiing, visited the Taos Pueblo and went to a ton of art galleries. My favorite part of the trip was watching the Turtle Dance at the Taos Pueblo. The pueblos are 1,000-year-old structures that still house the Taos tribe. The Turtle Dance, similar to a Corn or Rain Dance, is an ancient tradition performed on New Years morning at sunrise that is meant to bring water to the tribe for the New Year. It is a very religious and spiritual event that not many outsiders have the opportunity to see. After we drove back from Taos (a 12 ½ hour drive), my boyfriend visited Austin for the week. He had never been to Austin, or even Texas, so we had a great time touring the city, eating BBQ and listening to some live country music.
Winter break was so much fun but I was definitely ready to get back to school by the end of it. This semester is looking a lot different than last semester. Instead of my classes being focused on material strength, steel and concrete, I am taking courses in geotechnical engineering, water resources engineering and a sustainability design course. I’m very excited to see a different side of civil engineering! Outside of class, I am still working in Viterbi Admission and Student Affairs, involved with Society of Women Engineers and CMAA SPARKS. In less than a month I will be traveling with my CMAA Design Build Competition Team and with the other USC competition teams to Sparks, Nevada for our national competition. We are practicing twice a week every week in addition to weekends until the competition. It is going to be a lot of work but I am looking forward to the competition! Besides that, I plan on spending time with my friends, exploring LA more and trying to get a few trips in to the beach!