Carnegie Mellon University
2011-2012

2011-2012 Award Winners

Jennifer Martinez
B.S. Civil Engineering

CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Presenter: James Garrett
Thomas Lord Professor and Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Jennifer Martinez is an American-born Dominican from the Bronx, New York. She will graduate from the Carnegie Institute of Technology with a degree in Civil Engineering. Jennifer was inspired to study the field of civil engineering for two reasons: 1) her father is a civil engineer and he enjoyed sharing stories about his projects with his daughters; and 2) she had always excelled in mathematics and sciences and had a passion for helping others. Civil engineering is a technical discipline which is directly influenced by the needs of clients. Jennifer felt that it was the ideal career path for her because she could be involved in interesting projects knowing that the projects would benefit the community at large.

Growing up, Jennifer found many opportunities to satisfy her desires to help others. In high school, she was a part of community service groups which participated in Breast Cancer/Aids walks in New York City and worked in nursing homes, but she wanted to be a part of something bigger. When she came to CMU, Jennifer applied for GBB Panama because she felt that the project was unique. While the other projects were geared towards English lessons and building houses, GBB Panama focused more on empowering entrepreneurs with the tools necessary to have a successful and sustainable business. Not only was this project interesting, she knew that she could learn new skills that were not taught in her mandatory classes. Additionally, she could apply these skills in her future career path.

Looking back at her experiences at CMU, Jennifer is convinced that she has gotten the most out of her education by being part of such a tight-knit community in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department and by being a part of GBB Panama for the past four years.


Alexandra Hansen
B.S. Decision Science, additional major in Policy and Management

DIETRICH COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Presenter: Paul Fischbeck
Professor of Social and Decision Sciences and Engineering and Public Policy

Alexandra will graduate with university honors from the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences with a primary major in Decision Science and an additional major in Policy and Management.  She has been actively involved in research opportunities throughout her time at Carnegie Mellon, spending a semester as a Research Assistant studying consumer decision-making. After developing an interest in the field of medical decision-making, Alexandra received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and studied the relationship between medical decision-making abilities and emotions of caregivers of older adults with dementia. Alexandra has been a member of the CMU Women's Varsity Basketball Team for 4 years, serving as a team captain her senior year, and has earned University Athletic Association All-Academic honors. She is also a member of the Andrew Carnegie Society. 

Alexandra was accepted into the Accelerated Master's Program at the Heinz College of Carnegie Mellon in the MS in Healthcare Policy and Management program. After graduation, she will hold a summer internship at UPMC in the department of Administrative Services and Physician Relations before returning to the Heinz College to complete the final year of her graduate degree.


Michele McCauley
B.S. Business Administration

TEPPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Presenter: Milton Cofield
Executive Director, Undergraduate Business Administration

Michele was born in Laguna Beach, California, but raised in Akron, Ohio (home of LaBron James!). Growing up she was actively involved in all sports and at CMU continue dto play numerous intramural sports including basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, flag football, and kickball.  She learned early on the importance of teamwork and being able to prioritize her time. In May 2012, Michele will graduate from the Tepper School of Business with a degree in Business Administration (concentration in finance) and a mathematics minor.

During the summer of her sophomore year she participated in a study abroad program called Semester at Sea. This program allowed her to travel to seven different countries throughout the Mediterranean while taking three courses that integrated the study of politics and culture for each of the respective countries. She believes this planted a seed to explore through travel.  Since then she has been to Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil and London, where she was selected to attend an International Finance Program presented by the London School of Economics, and most recently to Qatar for a Case Competition. During her time at CMU, she was Co-Chair for the BOC, selected to the Odyssey Program, and the Harvard Women Intercollegiate Business Convention in Boston as an IBC Campus Ambassador. In addition, she was a member of numerous clubs and extracurricular activities such as: Lunar Gala Fashion Show, Marketing Organization (UMO), Business Association (CMBA), Finance Organization (UFO), and Math Club. She is also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

Following graduation she plans to move to New York City where she will be employed by IBM in a 2-year rotational program called Consulting By Degrees. Her long-term plans include getting a MBA and deciding between a career in Investment Banking, as a follow up to my summer internship at UBS, or remain in Consulting. She knows for sure that she will continue to travel to enhance her understanding of others.