CEE Spotlight: Claraestela Torres Rivero

Hometown/County: Bucaramanga, Colombia

What drew you to Civil and Environmental Engineering?

I had one of the best teachers I've ever had while I was in school in Colombia. She helped me fall in love with math, and after that, I always excelled in this subject, which also influenced my decision to become an engineer.  Civil and Environmental engineering sparked interest in me while researching various engineering specialties because it has a wide range of applications in infrastructure, society, the environment, and people's quality of life, all areas where I wanted to make a contribution and have a positive influence.

How did/does your identity influence your decision to pursue engineering/STEM?

I am a first-generation student along with my sister who inspired me to pursue a career in engineering, which has been historically a male-dominated profession. Therefore, I understand and appreciate the importance of being surrounded by a more diverse community where people especially young girls do not have pressure to follow stereotypes but rather, are inspired and motivated to achieve their goals without fear and demonstrate that everyone can excel in this field.

After moving to the USA, I discovered that I was one of the very few or the only Hispanic students in many of my classes, although this made me very sad, it didn't deter me; instead, it inspired me to be a part of the community's expanding representation and to prove to the rest of the world that we can achieve great things in STEM. I am very happy I got the opportunity to join the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) at CMU and attend National conventions where I was encouraged by many Latinx leaders in STEM to keep working hard for my goals and dreams.

How did your lens on diversity, equity, and inclusion take shape both as you grew up and as you entered adulthood and academia?

I grew up in Bucaramanga, Colombia and I had little exposure to different cultures. I did not have the opportunity to study and interact with students from different countries. As I grew up, I interacted with a lot more people from different countries during my bachelor’s degree in Bogota, Colombia and it continued growing when I got the opportunity to work on a multinational team which gave me a different perspective of the world.

When I came to CMU I got introduced to many wonderful fellow students from different countries and cultures. It was an amazing experience that nurtured my curiosity to learn about different cultures, and now two of my closest friends at CMU are from India.

What positive experiences have you had at CMU that you would hope others would have?

I had an excellent experience throughout my one-and-a-half years at CMU, and I value the significant efforts CMU makes to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus, where we all study and interact. I got a chance to join many organizations on campus.

I also founded the "Carnegie Mellon Colombian Student Organization," with my other Colombian friends during which, we were always guided and supported by the caring and encouraging university staff. I hope that many more students will have the same chance to experience this incredible and life-changing journey.

In your position, how do you advocate for inclusion?

As a graduate student, I get to work on many academic assignments and projects, mostly group projects. While working on those, I find it extremely pleasing to understand diverse opinions from my fellow class-group mates. It also helps all of us understand a concept, project, or task from different points of view as different students collectively have a wide spectrum of previous experiences, which reflect through their work.

During my graduate studies at CMU, I was a member of several groups, attended their events, and learned more about their culture. This year, I went to the Diwali festival with the Indian community. And with the Colombian Student Organization at the "Dia de las Velitas" event, we had the opportunity to share our culture with others.

Do you have any advice for incoming (students, faculty, or staff)?

This life is too short, take every opportunity that comes your way, and don’t let the fear of failure hold you back.