Board Member Spotlight July-August 2019
As part of our new Board Member Appreciation Program, we are showcasing a board member in our bimonthly Board Member Spotlight. Our board member spotlight recognizes board members of outstanding contributions to the profession and our local communities. For any questions regarding the program please contact the Past President PastPresident@ymf-oc.org.
For the July-September 2019 Spotlight, we would like to introduce...
VICTOR AGUIRRE
We asked him to state his name, company, and position(s) in ASCE:
Victor Aguirre
Huitt-Zollars, Inc.
K-12 Outreach Co-Chair
We also asked him a few questions about the following:
PERSONAL LIFE
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Long Beach, CA
What made you want to become an engineer?
Since I was a kid I always had a curiosity of how freeways were built and also about the properties of water and how it has the potential to sustain life, but also to destroy it.
Favorite hobbies, sports, and interests outside of engineering?
My favorite hobbies involves spending time with love ones, exploring museums and restaurants, concerts, attending sport events, bike riding and playing football & soccer.
Finish this sentence: On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me...
... at my Mom's house in Long Beach. As we get older I've realized that we become really caught up in our daily lives that we tend to forget to spent time with those we cherish.
What college(s) did you attend? Can you list your degrees, any honors, and involvement in engineering organizations during school?
I graduated form Long Beach State University in Spring 2015. I was part of the engineering honors society Tau Beta Pi and heavily involved with the ASCE CSULB student chapter. My first position as an officer for the ASCE CSULB student chapter was Membership Chair and the following year I served as Co-President were we accomplished the Orange County Most Outstanding Student Chapter Award, our student chapter ranked among the top 5% in the nation and our overall performance for the Pacific South Western Conference (PSWC) improved in overall ranking compared to previous years. I was also fortunate to be named the 2015 Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Student by the ASCE Orange County Branch.
WORK & PROFESSIONAL LIFE
Describe your responsibilities and some significant projects.
As a Civil Engineering Consultant in Land Development and Water Resources my responsibilities consist of : Precise Grading and Drainage, Hydrology & Hydraulic reports and calculations, Water Quality Management Program (WQMP) reports and calculations, Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPP), evaluating Geotechnical Engineering reports, wet utility design ( storm drain, domestic water and sanitary sewer), street improvements and coordinating with City officials, contractors and architects. Significant projects that I'v worked on have been the various custom luxury homes around Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, the USC Hybrid High School (across the street from the Los Angeles Coliseum) and a large residential development in the City of Ontario.
What is your favorite part about being a Civil Engineer?
My favorite part is having the opportunity to interpret your ideas and creativity onto paper and then seeing them come to live. By far seeing a project that you worked on from start to end is one of the best feelings.
What skills do you find most valuable to focus on in your career?
The skills I find most valuable to focus on is to continue expanding and learning.
What drew you to your specific career path? If you could start your career differently, what would you do differently?
Having the opportunity to design infrastructure that improves the quality of life for many people. I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason, so I personally wouldn't start my career differently.
ASCE & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
How/Why did you get involved? Why did you choose to stay involved?
I first became involved with ASCE as a student as Long Beach State University. I decided to become involved with ASCE in attempt to make a positive difference for future generations to pursuit higher education. I choose to stay involved because I enjoy teaching K-12 students that it's OK to have an interest in the topics of math, science and engineering. A particular topic I enjoy teaching students is about the hydrology cycle and to learn to value the most important and scarce resource in the world: potable water.
How has ASCE impacted your work and/or what is your favorite benefit of your involvement?
ASCE has impacted my work by giving me the opportunity to meet the amazing individuals from different backgrounds in our industry that have the drive not only to make our profession better, but also our world.
Who is someone you admire and why?
A person I admire is my Mother. In January of 2000 my mother was involved in a car accident that left her paralyzed for life. Regardless of her situation she managed to set an example to my sister and I that anything can be accomplished as long as you set your mind to your objective.
If you have one piece of advice to give to young professionals what would it be?
It would be to prepare yourself a lot sooner to obtain your professional engineer license. The longer one waits the more challenging it becomes
Lastly, what would be your personal motto?
Life is good. May it never change and may it never change us.
If you missed the last (June-July 2019) Board Member Spotlight, Guillermo Medina, you can click here to read her article.
To view the archive of all past Member Spotlights, click here.
