Jake Midkiff of Farmington said the volunteer experience through Missouri University of Science and Technology showed him how engineering can help individuals and communities.
Students from Missouri S&T used their passion for engineering to show their compassion for residents in two tiny villages in Bolivia and Guatemala.
Two groups from S&T’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) helped install a latrine system for the high school in Inka Katurapi, Bolivia, and helped homeowners rebuild their two-room dwellings in Jerez, Guatemala.
“For me, EWB shows you how much you can do with an engineering background,” says Jake Midkiff, who studied geological engineering at S&T. “It’s very rewarding. When you go to wonderful places like Inka Katurapi, it changes the way you look at things. The residents work so hard for what they have and it’s amazing how happy they are. It really puts life into perspective.”
Reviewed 2013-02-18