Civil engineering student receives senior leadership awards
When civil and environmental engineering senior Valerie Sims started at the University of South Carolina in 2021, she was overwhelmed by a large school and struggled to make friends.
“I felt so alone. I would go home every weekend and didn’t want to come back on Sunday nights,” Sims says.
Hailing from Kershaw, South Carolina, a town with a population of just under 2,000, Sims was comfortable with her tight-knit small town. However, she learned that community can also be found at a large university - but she had to create it herself.
“That was a big challenge for me. I really had to step outside my comfort zone,” Sims says. “But now I have a lot of friends I’ve made through school. My favorite part of my time here has been the relationships I’ve formed.”
Juan Caicedo, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Chair and professor, says he is impressed by Sims’ connections with others.
“She was able to make a group of friends who worked together, but at the same time they were having fun,” Caicedo says about Sims time in his class. “Her ability to make community is a unique skill she has.”
For Sims, stepping outside of her comfort zone meant getting involved. She joined the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter, rising in the ranks of leadership to become president in 2023 as a junior. Sims was also involved in starting the college’s student chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute earlier this year and now serves as vice president.
She was one of ten Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC) students to receive the Dean’s Award for Outstanding Leadership and was chosen among civil and environmental engineering students for the MCEC Outstanding Senior Award.
“I’m so thankful I was able to step outside of my comfort zone,” Sims says. “My freshman year self would love to see me now because I’ve grown so much.”
Sims’ favorite activity at the MCEC has been her outreach work. With the ASCE, she hosts Daughter Date Night and is actively involved in the annual Open House. She finds introducing local youth to engineering very rewarding.
“Getting to educate children with activities I would have loved as a kid is fun,” Sims says. “Making engineering fun and maybe inspiring another kid is such a good feeling.”
In addition to social clubs and activities, Sims has become a leader in academics and research. She joined Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Inthuorn Sasanakul’s geotechnical research lab as a freshman after receiving a Magellan Journey research award.
“Normally, I will not take freshmen for my lab, but she wanted to be involved and was very proactive,” Sasanakul says. “By the time she got to the upper-level lab class, she could almost teach it. She already had so much experience.”
Sims’ time working in Sasanakul’s lab has helped guide her future career path. She will graduate this May and pursue her master’s degree in geotechnical engineering in the fall. While she hopes to spend time working in industry, her dream is to return to the university as an adjunct professor.
“My passion is teaching and educating,” Sims says. “I would love to come back to this school and teach while working in industry.”
Caicedo says her strong leadership indicates how bright the future is for her.
“She is forging a strong career path,” Caicedo says. “She is an exceptional student and an incredible role model for all our other students.”