2024-2025
OFFICERS AND PROJECT MANAGERS
Beth Peterson - President
Civil Engineering
Beth is a Civil Engineering major from Salinas, CA, who transferred to Cal Poly from Cabrillo College. She was drawn to Civil Engineering as a career because of the ability to help communities through improving infrastructure. After hearing about EWB’s mission and its alignment with her own values, Beth joined the club. She enjoys expressing herself creatively by doing her nails and trying out a variety of crafts.
Dorin Meydany - Vice President
Environmental Engineering
Dorin is a 2nd year Environmental Engineering student from Los Angeles, California. She joined Team Kenya to gain knowledge and experience on different engineering topics and is currently one of the cultural leads on the team. From the beginning Dorin has enjoyed being in EWB and has loved the people she has met along the way! In her free time, Dorin enjoys swimming, reading, watching movies and tv shows, being with friends, and laying in grass.
Brooke Gauerke - Secretary
Civil Engineering
Brooke is a second year Civil Engineering major from San Diego, California, and is a member of team Nica. She originally joined EWB to expand her world scope and use engineering to help those abroad. In her free time she enjoys any activity with friends, drawing, soccer and gymnastics.
Nikita Mittal - Treasurer
Biomedical Engineering
Nikita is a fourth-year Biomedical Engineering major from Union City, California. She joined EWB during her first year to explore different applications of engineering skills. She originally joined Team Fiji and is now part of the new Team Nica! In her free time, she likes to practice her gymnastics skills, read, and spend time with her friends.
Aaron Schiff - Public Relations and Media Coordinator
Mechanical Engineering
Aaron is a mechanical engineering major from Los Angeles, California and joined EWB with the mission to help people through engineering. He is a member of the Kenya team and primarily works on design, especially the solar panel structure. Aaron enjoys anything sports, especially football, tennis, rock climbing, and surfing, and also loves anything outdoors.
Jack Cornwall - Events Coordinator
Civil Engineering
Jack is a second-year from San Diego, CA who joined EWB and Team Nica in fall of his freshman year. He chose civil engineering and EWB because of their overlap between sustainability, the outdoors, problem-solving, and physics, and is also pursuing a music minor! Jack ran for Events Coordinator because of his enthusiasm for getting outside and meeting new people. In his free time, he likes to try new forms of exercise, read, play the piano, and use his imagination.
Zak Neddo - Fundraising Coordinator
Manufacturing Engineering
Zak is a third year manufacturing engineering student from Kenmore, Washington. He joined EWB because he wanted to have a real world impact with engineering. He’s hoping to use his two years of experience as fundraising coordinator to raise more money this year than ever! In his free time he enjoys reading, hockey, and games of all kinds.
Billy Beltran - Membership Coordinator
Civil Engineering
BIlly Beltran is a Civil Engineering graduate student at Cal Poly and is originally from El Salvador. He joined EWB's team Nicaragua to make a positive impact in the region where he was born. In his free time, Billy enjoys basketball, soccer, hiking, camping, and music.
Thomas Burt - Membership Coordinator
Civil Engineering
Thomas is returning to Cal Poly for a fifth year to receive his Masters in Civil Engineering. He originally joined the EWB Fiji team to learn more about how to sustainably help other communities, and his favorite memory has been sieving sand for the prototype Biosand Filter. He enjoys running and biking around SLO in his free time.
Aidan Hicks - IMPACT Coordinator
Grad 2025 - Civil Engineering
Aidan is a second-year Civil Engineering student from Petaluma, California. He joined EWB because he’s passionate about hands-on experiences making a difference for communities that need it. He is very community service oriented, volunteering regularly at a food bank back home, and he is excited to explore new volunteering opportunities as Impact Coordinator. In his free time, you can find him reading, watching obscure video essays and training for triathlons.
Freddy Flores - DEI Coordinator
Mechanical Engineering
Freddy is a second-year mechanical engineering student from Los Angeles. He joined team Nicaragua to learn more about water resources and other environmental engineering. He stayed for the people who creating such a friendly and welcome environment and he want to make sure all future members are welcome and feel part of something bigger.
Juno Johnson - New International Team Project Manager
Materials Engineering
Juno is a fourth-year Materials Engineering student from Colorado. She initially joined EWB on the Fiji team, but as that project was completed, she joined Team Nicaragua. She joined EWB because she wanted to be able to apply the skills she learned in the classroom to real projects, but stayed for the enjoyable team culture and being able to help others. Outside of EWB, Juno enjoys spending time outside, creating art, and volunteering at the Cal Poly Cat Program.
Liam Lopez - New International Team Project Manager
Civil Engineering
Liam is a 2nd year Civil Engineering major from Sacramento. He joined EWB because he felt that it was a great opportunity to use engineering to help others. In his free time he enjoys running and playing soccer.
Miles Fesler - Team Kenya Project Manager
Computer Engineering
Miles, a fourth-year computer engineering student, serves as the Project Manager for the Kenya Team. He was born in Denver, CO but grew up in Carlsbad, CA. Since the age of 5, Miles has been involved in non-profit organizations, and aims to use the skills he learns in the classroom to help those in need. Outside of EWB, Miles enjoys photography, videography, beach volleyball, and skiing.
Shannon Mason - Team Kenya Project Manager
Biomedical Engineering
Shannon is a third-year, biomedical engineering student from Menomonie, Wisconsin. She joined EWB because the fun and welcoming atmosphere drew her in and she loved the meaningful work so much that she became a PM. She loves the vibe the team has fostered and is eager to watch it grow! In her free time, she loves to cook, play sports, and camp.
Isabel Gonzalez - Team Local Project Manager
Nadya Klug - Team Local Project Manager
Civil Engineering
Nadya is from Denver, Colorado, but if you ask her she will also say she is from the California and, maybe, Oregon. She enjoys lifting, reading, being outside, and playing spikeball. Nadya wants to learn how to surf this year. She’s in EWB because she loves helping others and wants to work to uplift communities similarly postgrad.
2023-2024
OFFICERS AND PROJECT MANAGERS
Sam Mikolajczyk - President
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Sam is a Civil Engineering major from Orange County and joined EWB to kickstart his goal of doing engineering work in developing countries. Sam is a part of Team Nica and has primarily served doing translation and structural work. He enjoys anything in the outdoors such as fishing, surfing, hiking, climbing, backpacking you name it, all whilst shooting film.
Lexie Caterine - Vice President
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Lexie is a fourth year student from Freeport, Maine. She joined EWB, on the Fiji team, her second year to learn how engineering skills can be used to help others around the world and was inspired by the work EWB has done. One of her favorite memories is last year's end of the year banquet where everyone got to socialize, meet new people, and recognize outstanding members. In her free time she enjoys being with friends, anything astronomy, and just being outside in nature.
Grace Murphy - Secretary
Grad 2026 - Biomedical Engineering
Grace is a second year biomedical engineering major from Chicago. She originally joined EWB so she could use her engineering skills to do good in the world. She is a member of Team Fiji and is the team’s cultural sub team lead. Outside of EWB Grace enjoys going to Chabad, running, adventuring outside, and listening to music.
Thomas Burt - Treasurer
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Thomas is a fourth year Civil Engineering Student from San Carlos, California. He joined the EWB Fiji team to learn more about to sustainably help other communities, and his favorite memory has been sieving sand for the prototype Biosand Filter. He enjoys running and biking around SLO in his free time.
Serena Yeh - Public Relations and Media Coordinator
Grad 2025 - Environmental Engineering
Serena is a third-year environmental engineering student from Fremont, California. She joined Team Kenya to apply her engineering skills to the real world while making a positive impact on others. In her free time, you can find her crafting, attempting to keep plants alive, and appreciating sunsets.
Juno Johnson - Membership Coordinator
Grad 2025 - Materials Engineering
Juno is a materials engineer from Fort Collins, Colorado. She joined Team Fiji during her second year because she wanted to be able to use the skills she’s learned in the classroom and her personal life to be able to help others. She also enjoys learning about Fiji’s culture and the importance of understanding the communities values. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, volunteering at the Cal Poly Cat Program, and cooking.
Zak Neddo - Fundraising Coordinator
Grad 2026 - Manufacturing Engineering
Zak is a second year manufacturing engineering student from Kenmore, Washington. He joined EWB because he wanted to do something that had a positive impact on others while also being engineering focused. In his free time, he enjoys reading, rowing, and game of all kinds.
Billy Beltran - Fundraising Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Billy is originally from El Salvador and moved to California at the age of ten. Therefore being from Central America, he decided to join team Nicaragua. The experiences of living in El Salvador makes him happy to be a part of EWB. Billy appreciates the opportunity to help out people from the region where he was born. Billy is now a fourth year civil engineering student at Cal Poly. Some of his hobbies are basketball, music, hiking, and cooking.
Kayla Lovejoy - Events Coordinator
Grad 2025 - Biomedical Engineering
Kayla is a third year biomedical engineering major, originally from Allen, TX. She joined Cal Poly’s Engineers Without Borders her freshman year and has been a social team co-lead for Team Nicaragua since Winter her freshman year. Outside of school you can find her hiking or on sunny days, laying in a nice patch of grass like a lizard. She’s very passionate about the work EWB does for communities around the world, and can’t wait to be this year's events coordinator to help ensure everyone loves EWB as much as she does.
Riley Gordon - Events Coordinator
Grad 2025 - Biomedical Engineering
Riley is a third-year biomedical engineering major from central Colorado, and is a part of team Nica! She has a spanish minor and has been involved in service learning since high school, and joined EWB to help connect those interests to her passion for engineering. In her free time, Riley likes to read and write, go to the gym or the beach, and spend time with her roommates and friends.
Abby Tymn - IMPACT Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Abby is a fourth year civil engineering major from Fresno, CA! She is on Team Nicaragua! In her free time she loves playing tennis, going line dancing, and going to the beach!
Sam Flores - DEI Coordinator
Grad 2026 - Mechanical Engineering
Hailing from the East Bay Area, Sam is a second-year mechanical engineering student on Team Fiji. She joined Engineers Without Borders to use what she was learning in lectures to solve issues beyond the scope of her own campus. Sam was drawn to EWB's emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, cultural awareness, and cultural appreciation. Whether it's in regards to water filtration or just simply having a meal with the locals--she loves how the team's sharing of knowledge of working with Fijians helped create a better project and a better project team. Since joining, Sam has developed a passion for design justice and tailoring solutions to the needs as well as traditions of individual communities. In her free time, Sam listens to 6arelyhuman on repeat, watches terrible Netflix movies unironically, and samples food from Guy Fieri TV shows.
Austin Gauerke - Principal Project Manager and Team Nicaragua Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Austin is a 4th year Civil Engineering major from San Diego. He joined EWB his freshman year looking for real-world project experience and to make a difference- and has found exactly that. Austin's favorite parts of EWB are collaborating with professional engineers at home and coordinating with contractors abroad. His best memory with the team is watching the sunset while playing soccer with the kids in Nicaragua. Outside of class you can find Austin playing soccer and spikeball.
Eddie Loh - Team Nicaragua Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Eddie is a fourth year majoring in civil engineering. He initially joined EWB to gain real world engineering experience, but stayed for his interest in developmental work. He’s from Los Altos, CA, and in his free time enjoys to play basketball, cook with his roommates, and to thrift.
Elena Ryan - Team Fiji Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Jillian Buteau - Team Fiji Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Miles Fesler - Team Kenya Project Manager
Grad 2025 - Computer Engineering
Miles, a third-year computer engineering student, serves as the Project Manager for the Kenya Team. He was born in Denver, CO but grew up in Carlsbad, CA. Since the age of 5, Miles has been involved in non-profit organizations, and aims to use the skills he learns in the classroom to help those in need. Outside of EWB, Miles enjoys photography, videography, beach volleyball, and skiing.
Molly Foster - Team Kenya Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Environmental Engineering
Julia Fay - Team Local Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Mechnical Engineering
Julia is a fourth-year student that has been a part of EWB since her freshman year. She wanted to join EWB because of its purpose to serve those who are in need through engineering. She joined the local team specifically because they were working on an environmental restoration project, and she is passionate about sustainability. Outside of school Julia likes to cook, surf, hike, and play guitar.
Nadya Klug - Team Local Project Manager
Grad 2026 - Civil Engineering
Nadya is from Denver, Colorado, but if you ask her she will also say she is from the California and, maybe, Oregon. She enjoys lifting, reading, being outside, and playing spikeball. Nadya wants to learn how to surf this year. She’s in EWB because she loves helping others and wants to work to uplift communities similarly postgrad.
2021-2022
Officers and project managers
Sarah Navias - President
Grad 2021 - Architectural Engineering
Sarah is an architectural engineering graduate student from Colorado. She joined EWB to learn more about the role that engineering can play in development work and for the interdisciplinary learning opportunities. Her favorite EWB memory is volunteering at Growing Grounds each year with her project team and getting to know everyone outside of club meetings. Outside of EWB you can find Sarah watching movies with a cup of tea in hand, cooking lots of food, taking a walk in her neighborhood, or cuddling her roommates' cats.
Luka Uchiyama - Vice President
Grad 2022 - Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies
Luka is both excited and challenged as EWB Cal Poly’s vice president this year. Hailing from the Bay Area, they are excited to use their skills and experiences to continue maintaining the club as a welcoming and exciting place to be, especially to do the work that EWB does in helping communities worldwide. They are also eager to take the steps to continue to transform the organization’s student and staff to becoming a more inclusive, conscientious, and just community as we continue our impactful work. Feel free to reach to them anytime if you have any questions, comments or just want to chat! If nothing else, they would love to make a Spotify playlist for/with you!
Austin Gauerke - Secretary
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Austin is a second year Civil Engineering student from San Diego, California. He joined EWB his freshman year looking to get real-world project experience and to make a difference. Austin's favorite parts of EWB are collaborating with the team and knowing that his work is turns to reality abroad. Outside of school, you can find Austin playing soccer and spikeball.
Matthew Moscot - Treasurer
Grad 2024 - Mathematics
Matthew Moscot is from Thousand Oaks, California. He joined EWB because he was notified that they needed someone as treasurer, and after looking into what EWB is, it only made him more excited to join the club as both treasurer and a member! His favorite memory is the first meeting he went to, and seeing how enthusiastic everyone in the club is to help others. In his free time, he enjoys running, playing soccer, and spending time with friends.
Will Spellman - Public Relations Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Will Spellman is a second-year mechanical engineering student at Cal Poly. He serves on the EWB board as the Public Relations Coordinator. This is his first-year with EWB, and is excited to join the Fiji Project Team. In his free time, Will enjoys playing soccer, going to the beach, surfing, and pretty much anything outdoors. Will is very excited to get to meet everyone, and feel free to reach out anytime!
Joeli Pence - Membership Coordinator
Grad 2022 - Civil Engineering
Joeli joined EWB to get practice with real-world engineering projects while in school and she appreciates the club's efforts to positively impact communities. She is from Redmond, WA ("Seattle") and loves it there but admittedly appreciates the year-round cycling-appropriate weather in SLO. Outside of EWB, she is an assistant bike coach on the Cal Poly triathlon team! She also kind of wants to practice Spanish in her spare time, but she keeps watching minecraft youtube videos instead.
Peter Kim - Fundraising Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Aerospace Engineering
Peter is from Pleasant Hill, CA. He joined EWB his freshman year because he fell in love with the culture and ethics that the chapter was cultivating. His favorite memory is facilitating game night where he got to see members going all out on all sorts of challenges. Outside of EWB, you can find Peter taking naps around campus, playing board games, and enjoying the outdoors.
Varenya Gupta - Fundraising Coordinator
Noelle Marroquin - Media Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Environmental Engineering
Noelle is a 2nd year student from Fresno county and an active member on the Fiji project team. She joined Engineers Without Borders out of curiosity and has enjoyed learning about the community her team works with and the ethics of global development. On her spare time you can find her volunteering for the Cal Poly Cat Program, paddleboarding in Morro Bay, in a random corner with a new book, or spending a few hours at her favorite cafe.
Meileen Yee - Events Coordinator
Grad 2023 - Architectural Engineering
Meileen is from Portland, OR and loves rain and trees very much. She joined Team Nicaragua during her second year to learn more about the project process, but ended up finding more meaning in the critical, human aspect of development which EWB Cal Poly puts an emphasis on. She is now the communications sub team lead on Team Nica, and loves getting to introduce new members and connect with the community. In her free time, Meileen enjoys practicing yoga, swimming, trying new foods, and having deep talks with friends.
Nadeem Afridi - Social Chair
Grad 2024 - Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering
Nadeem is a Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering major from Sacramento, California. He became involved in EWB because of his interest in engineering as well as a passion for ethical developments worldwide. He personally appreciates the effort the club goes through to understand global issues. Outside of school, Nadeem likes to try new things such as searching for new eats, finding new hikes, learning new board games, or anything else that peaks his interest.
Shuhan Du - Technology Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Computer Engineering
Shuhan is from Redmond, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, although he was born in China. He joined EWB due to his passion for helping developing communities and learning about their culture, as well as an opportunity to apply his engineering skills to the real world. His favorite memories of EWB include working with his friends on the solar-powered water pump project in Team Fiji, as well as attending the social events such as game nights and eating at restaurants. In his free time, he loves road cycling, playing chess, cooking, and hiking.
Neel Bhargava - IMPACT Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Neel is a Mechanical Engineering student from Sunnyvale, CA who joined EWB because he wants to help impact communities in a positive way. His favorite parts of EWB include volunteering opportunities such as making holiday cards, and social events such as beach bonfires. Outside of the club he enjoys spending time outdoors in the beautiful California weather, staying active and hanging out with friends.
Dalilah Osakoda - IMPACT Coordinator
Grad 2023 - Anthropology and Geography
Dalilah is originally from Kauai, but spent her high school years in San Diego, CA. She joined EWB because she is passionate about pursuing development approaches in marginalized communities and wanted to further expand her worldview. She hopes to develop her cultural awareness by partaking in interactive activities with local communities. You can find her at the beach with friends, at a music festival, or in the yoga studio. She hopes to someday be a field anthropologist and travel all over the world.
Andrew Chan - DEI Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Andrew Chan (he/his) is a second year mechanical engineering student from Sacramento, CA. He joined EWB in the first weeks of his first year, and since then has been in the continual process of examining and redefining his goals and intentions as an engineering student. Andrew is passionate about exploring how engineering knowledge can be used to advance social justice and dismantle oppressive systems, and hopes to use his time as a student and member of EWB to find out how he can best contribute to a more safe and equitable world. He also loves playing guitar, finding new music, cooking (although it's become less of a hobby since moving out...) and watching old movies -- and is currently maybe a little too into tech decks.
Kylee Nielsen - DEI Coordinator
Grad 2024 - Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences
Kylee is from San Jose, California. They joined EWB to explore the field of development and learn alongside other students. On the DEI committee, they promote education around justice and equity in the Cal Poly EWB community. As a Cultural Education and Communication co-lead on the Kenya team, they explore the relationships between communities and organizations like EWB. Their favorite memory from EWB was getting to hang out with everyone at the end of last Spring Quarter. Outside of EWB they love exploring the natural world, playing guitar, and reading a good book.
Cole Wilkinson - Cuesta College Liaison
Grad 2024 - Civil Engineering
Cole is from Half Moon Bay, CA, and he joined EWB because he is passionate about the humanitarian applications of engineering. His favorite memory of EWB has been finally meeting and interacting with fellow EWB'ers outside of Zoom, all of whom he looks up to dearly. Aside from EWB, Cole enjoys less meaningful activities such as playing video games, watching pro sports, and binging political YouTube content.
Cami Lowrey - Critical Global Engagement Club Liaison
Grad 2023 - Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering
Cami Lowrey is from El Dorado, Arkansas. After taking a human geography class in high school, she knew she wanted to learn more through engagement with global development. When she found EWB at Cal Poly, she did not hesitate to get involved! Aside from working on the EWB Fiji team as the Filters sub-team lead, Cami can be found staying active, whether that be through swing dancing, ballet, hiking, or playing volleyball!
Alex Cushing - Outgoing Team Fiji Project Manager
Grad 2022 - Materials Engineering
Alex is from Los Altos, California. He joined EWB because of the warming and welcoming environment he felt when first arriving at the club. He loves being able to socialize with club members as well as with the community residents. Alex's favorite EWB memories are volunteering with the team at Las Brisas and the quarterly bonfires. During his personal time, Alex loves to practice bread making and going on trail runs.
Geneva Newell - Team Fiji Project Manager
Grad 2023 - Civil Engineering
Geneva is from Poulsbo, WA and joined EWB after learning about the club while attending Cal Poly EPIC in high school. She loves to bring the "HYPE" to the Fiji team and do all that she can do to balance impacts vs. intents when conducting work with the community. Also, she collects and sends posts cards, with over 200 coating her bedroom walls. In her free time she loves to volunteer, play tennis and play with her bunny, Cruiser.
Elena Ryan - Incoming Team Fiji Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Elena is from Salt Lake City, Utah and joined EWB Fiji to follow her passion for developing renewable infrastructure in less developed nations. She loves running and drawing. She is an active member of Cal Poly Distance Club and a Shop technician at Cal Poly’s mechanical engineering shop.
Joshua Schipper - Outgoing Team Kenya Project Manager
Grad 2022 - Environmental Engineering
Joshua was born in Bend Oregon. He joined Engineers without Borders to learn about other regions of the world and his favorite EWB memory is working on a previous project's maize mill prototype. Outside of EWB, Joshua enjoys hiking and cooking.
Aiyana Arnobit - Team Kenya Project Manager
Grad 2023 - Computer Engineering
Aiyana Arnobit is from Honolulu, Hawaii. She joined EWB because she wanted to do engineering work and meet with other people outside of her major. Her favorite memory of EWB is going to the different socials because she really enjoys being with and spending time other club members. Outside of Cal Poly EWB she enjoys crocheting, cooking, and walking around SLO while enjoying the scenery and the various animals that can be seen.
Danny Davis - Incoming Team Kenya Project Manager
Grad 2025 - Industrial Technology and Packaging
Danny grew up in New Jersey but always wanted to move out to the west coast. He joined EWB after traveling to South Africa in 2019 and saw first-hand the impacts organizations, like EWB, can have on developing communities. Danny has always wanted to combine his passion for making a difference along with his experience in engineering and technology to combat inequality by integrating the power of innovative technology and public policy. Outside of EWB, you can find him hiking the trails of slo, napping on the beach, or traveling around the world.
Brigid O’Neill - Team Nicaragua Project Manager
Grad 2023 - Civil Engineering
Brigid is from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She joined EWB her freshman year because she wants to help communities all over the world gain access to clean water. Her favorite EWB memory is the Nicaragua team dinner at the end of winter quarter 2020. Outside of EWB, she is also active in Society of Civil Engineers on campus. She also enjoys playing sports, hiking and waterskiing.
Rachel Terminello - Team Nicaragua Project Manager
Grad 2023 - Aerospace Engineering
Rachel is from eastern Washington state. She joined EWB in fall of her 1st year at Cal Poly to be part of a group who focused on engineering projects aimed at helping communities all around the world. Her favorite EWB memory would be Agua for Nicaragua 2020 (zoom benefit concert for Cal Poly food pantry). Outside of EWB Rachel enjoys hiking, surfing, and cooking new dishes.
Julia Fay - Team Local Project Manager
Grad 2024 - Mechanical Engineering
Julia is from the northern Chicago suburbs. She joined EWB during her first quarter at Cal Poly. Her favorite memory of EWB was the first meeting that she had in person with her whole team after getting to know them over zoom the year before. Outside of school Julia likes to run, surf, cook, play guitar, and sing.
Jonas Honeyman - Team Local Project Manager
Grad 2022 - Mechanical Engineering
Jonas is from Salem, OR and has been involved with EWB since his second year. He joined the club as way to get more involved on campus and apply his engineering knowledge he’d been developing in the classroom while being able to give back to the community through the Local Projects Team. His favorite memory of EWB was being able to visit Morning Star Equestrian Center in San Luis Obispo with the Local Project team to learn more about the design of horse wash racks. Moreover, during his free time, Jonas enjoys trail running and hiking all throughout SLO, playing beach volleyball, and gaming with his Oregon friends over discord.
2020-2021
Officers and Project Managers
President Elise Gooding
Grad 2021 - Civil Engineering
Elise is a Civil Engineering student from Lake Stevens, Washington. She is a part of EWB because of the interdisciplinary learning opportunities. Her favorite memories include volunteering at the SLO Botanical Gardens with the Thailand team and participating in the EdGE course alongside other EWB members. Outside of EWB you can find her playing volleyball, climbing, or enjoying a cup of tea.
Vice President Michael Reyna
Grad 2021 - Mechanical Engineering
Michael is a Mechanical Engineering student from Fresno who joined EWB to find a community of individuals who work hard to improve the quality of life of people regardless of location. His favorite parts of EWB are hiking, beach bonfires, and camping trips with the rest of the team. In his spare time he enjoys hikes, visiting the beach, going stargazing, and playing board games. He is currently considering a career in global development or renewable energy.
Secretary Katie Otsuka
Grad 2021 - Civil Engineering
Katie is from San Diego. She joined EWB with a few of her friends sophomore year to learn more about development work and try to make a difference using the things she learned in class. One of her favorite memories is going on the annual yurt trip with the Nicaragua team. Katie’ other passions include baking, hiking, mountain biking, and watching movies with my friends.
Treasurer Lucia Gomes
Grad 2021 - Economics
Lucia is from Morgan Hill, CA. She joined EWB because she loves how the club incorporates helping people, forming cultural and community connections, as well as problem-solving. She has a passion for learning, and being part of EWB teaches her new things every day. Her favorite memory of EWB is planning the Agua for Nicaragua concert as an events lead during her first year. Outside of EWB, you can find Lucia working for ASI as an accounting student assistant, singing, eating, or waiting in line for coffee.
Public Relations Coordinator Brigid O’Neill
Grad 2023 - Civil Engineering
Brigid is from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She joined EWB her freshman year because she wants to help communities all over the world gain access to clean water. Her favorite EWB memory is the Nicaragua team dinner at the end of winter quarter 2020. Outside of EWB, she is also very active in Society of Civil Engineers on campus. She also enjoys playing soccer and volleyball, hiking and waterskiing.
Membership Coordinator Sarah Navias
Grad 2021 - Architectural Engineering
Sarah is from Colorado and has been an active member of EWB since her second year at Cal Poly. For the past two years she has been a part of the Kenya team and last year was the Cultural Education Lead. Sarah joined EWB to learn about development work and the role that engineering can play within development, and she has been lucky to learn more than she ever imagined over these past two years from fellow members. Her favorite EWB memory is volunteering at Growing Grounds each year with her project team and getting to know everyone outside of club meetings. Outside of EWB you can find Sarah watching movies with a cup of tea in hand, cooking lots of food, or spending time outside.
Lead Fundraising Coordinator & CGE Liaison Geneva Newell
Grad 2023 - Civil Engineering
Geneva is from Poulsbo, WA and joined EWB after learning about the club while attending Cal Poly EPIC in high school. She also is involved with Critical Global Engagement Club where she is able to think deeper about the actions we take in EWB. Also, she collects and sends posts cards, with over 200 coating her bedroom walls. In her free time she loves to volunteer, play tennis and pet dogs.
Fundraising Coordinator Joeli Pence
Grad 2022 - Civil Engineering
Joeli joined EWB to get practice with real-world engineering projects while in school and she appreciates the club's intentional efforts to listen to and truly help the communities it works with. She is from Redmond, WA ("Seattle") and loves it there but does admittedly appreciate the year-round cycling-appropriate weather in SLO. Outside of EWB, she joined the Cal Poly triathlon team last fall and enjoys spending long periods of time on a bike. She also enjoys trying to improve her Spanish by talking to people from Argentina on the internet in her spare time.
Fundraising Coordinator Alex Petrov
Grad 2021 - Computer Engineering
Alex is from Phoenix, Arizona. He started going to EWB meetings on a whim but immediately fell in love with the work and his project team. His favorite memory is attending the end of the year banquet with everyone. Outside of school and EWB, he enjoys mountain biking and exploring SLO.
Media Coordinator Molly Klausen
Grad 2022 - Environmental Engineering
Molly is an environmental engineer from San Diego, California. She joined Engineers Without Borders because she wanted to do something with engineering, and she was attracted to the sustainable and ethical development objectives of the club. Her favorite memories of EWB include going to the socials and seeing the different personalities of everyone during the project meetings. Outside of EWB, she loves to go camping and play card games.
Social Chair Sydney Sitton
Grad 2022 - Construction Management
Coming from Huntington Beach, CA, Sydney is a third year Construction Management major and a member of Team Fiji. She joined EWB to understand the impact of construction in developing communities, and gain perspective into the world of international development. She loves the community aspect of EWB, and how many amazing individuals she's met across all majors at Cal Poly. When she's not doing EWB work, you can find her practicing yoga, perfecting her coffee craft, surfing in Morro Bay, or trying to find live music in San Luis Obispo.
Technology Coordinator Hannah Berenjfoorosh
Grad 2021 - Civil Engineering
Hannah is a fourth year Civil Engineering major from San Jose, CA. She joined Engineers Without Borders to gain hands on engineering experience and to learn about development work. Her favorite EWB memory is playing trivia with Team Kenya and getting to work on the maize mill in the machine shop. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends, crafting, and attempting to bake.
IMPACT Coordinator Kennedy Skinner
Grad 2021 - Anthropology & Geography
Kennedy Skinner from the Lake Tahoe area!! She joined EWB because she wanted to gain connections and friends outside of her field of study!! Her personal favorite memories are the debates an discussion that are so respectful and new it gives you a whole new perspective; and laughing so hard that everyone was gasping for air. Outside of EWB she personally loves to hike, workout, volunteer, try new eateries (she's a foodie), cook, and most importantly people watch.
IMPACT Coordinator Karina Camp
Grad 2021 - Industrial Engineering
Karina is from San Diego, CA and joined EWB freshman year because of the impact she wanted to have not only on communities worldwide but also her own. She also loves the people and culture of EWB. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, surfing, golfing and hiking.
Conference Coordinator Olivia Weinbaum
Grad 2021 - Civil Engineering
Olivia is from Las Cruces, New Mexico and she joined EWB because she wants to help those in the Global South with infrastructure. Her favorite memory of EWB is spending time with her best friends working on the project team and going on EWB's quarterly camping trips. She loves dancing and is a part of Urban Movement. She also loves working out, camping, and riding motorcycles.
Cuesta College Liaison Callie Charleton
Grad 2021 - Environmental Engineering
Callie grew up in Windsor, CA and became interested in engineering while in her high school's STEM program. She went to Cuesta for her second year of college with the goal of transferring to Cal Poly. At Cuesta she was a part of the team that worked to change the EWBUSA chapter requirements to allow community colleges. She transferred to Cal Poly in 2019. She is passionate about sustainable farming and likes to go paddle boring on the weekends.
California State Representative Sheel Patel
Grad 2021 - Software Engineering
Sheel is from Bristol, Wisconsin, and joined EWB to to utilize his engineering skills to help others and meet friends who are also passionate in engineering to make an impactful difference. He is a member of team Fiji, working often with the fundraising and solar teams. His favorite memories of EWB are the social events, such as the campouts, bonfires, or BBQs. Some of his hobbies include running, dancing, and photography & videography.
Team Fiji Project Manager - Alex Cushing
Grad 2022 - Materials Engineering
Alex is from Los Altos, California. He joined EWB because of the warming and welcoming environment he felt when first arriving at the club. Despite being a materials engineer, he felt there was still lots of applicable work to be done and this incentivized him to become a Project Manager for this upcoming year. Alex's favorite EWB memories are volunteering with the team at Las Brisas and the quarterly bonfires. During his personal time, Alex loves to practice bread making and going on trail runs.
Team Fiji Project Manager - Austin Marshall
Grad 2021 - Mechanical Engineering
Austin is from Novato, CA (Just north of San Francisco). He joined Engineers Without Boarders because he has a passion for both helping people, whether it's in our community or around the world, and working to find new solutions to technical problems. Some of his favorite memories with EWB include the Fiji team fundraisers and club social events like the camping trip. Outside of EWB, Austin enjoys photography, rock climbing, hiking, line dancing, and exploring new places.
Team Nicaragua Project Manager - Andrea Leal
Grad 2021 - Civil Engineering
Andrea is from San Diego, CA. She joined EWB- Cal Poly so she could share the resources and opportunities she received by attending a University, with people who do not have access to even the most basic of needs. Andrea’s favorite part of EWB has been meeting and learning from people with critical perspectives on global development. She also enjoy watching movies and learning new things!
Team Nicaragua Project Manager - Julia Cannon
Grad 2021 - Civil Engineering
Julia joined EWB during her freshman year as a way of learning about and further expanding her understanding of global development work. As the Well & Pump Lead for the Nicaragua Team, she worked closely with the other leads to advance the remote implementation of a water distribution system and now is one of the team's PMs. She's also been a part of the training team for the 900+ orientation leaders for Cal Poly's Week of Welcome. When Julia is not at school, taking pictures, or at Trader Joe's, you can find her grabbing coffee with friends or strolling outside.
Team Kenya Project Manager Quynh Sample
Grad 2021 - Anthropology & Geography
Quynh is from Saratoga, CA. She has joined Engineers Without Borders at Cal Poly at the suggestion of one of the previous Kenya project managers and had never left. She has a strong interest in ethical and sustainable international development and loves that EWB-Cal Poly shares those same goals. Her favorite memories are always of spending time with the team and talking about useless nonsense. In her free time, she loves sleeping, watching nerdy videos on YouTube, and drinking tea.
Team Kenya Project Manager Joshua Schipper
Grad 2022 - Environmental Engineering
Joshua joined EWB Malawi team (now Kenya team) because he wanted to learn more about global development and was particularly interested in the sub-saharan African region. His favorite EWB memory was learning how to thread a hole using a tap in the workshop freshman year. Outside of EWB Joshua enjoys smoothies and salads.
Local Team Project Manager Jenisa Nguyen
Grad 2022 - Computer Science
Jenisa Nguyen is from Oxnard, Ca, but grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. She first joined EWB because of her passion and enthusiasm for helping the community and engineering alike. Her favorite memory of EWB are the board dinners and the end-of-the-year celebrations. On her spare time, she likes to code, work on escape room puzzles, and play video games. She also really loves boba tea!
Local Team Project Manager Laila Schnebelt
Grad 2021 - Industrial Engineering
Originally from Napa, California, Laila Schnebelt joined EWB because it largely consists of two of her favorite things: philanthropy and engineering. She wanted to find a way to combine her passion for serving others and technical skills learned at Cal Poly, and found the perfect fit in EWB. Her favorite memory in EWB is the Fall Crash Course Reveal, when Local Projects gets to meet all of their new members! Outside of EWB, Laila can be found hiking around SLO, napping at odd hours of the day, or trying new coffee spots with friends.
2019-2020
Officers and Project Managers
President - Kyle Ennis
Grad 2020 - Mechanical Engineering
Kyle is from Chico, California. He joined EWB at the beginning of his freshman year after hearing about one of his friends on campus going to Nicaragua to build an elementary school. He went on to become the Lead Fundraising Coordinator and Nicaragua Team Project Manager before becoming this year's President. His favorite memory with EWB is doing door-to-door surveys in the Nicaragua partner community, because he enjoyed getting the chance to hear about the community members' stories and views on local issues. For fun, he likes skiing, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, and going to the beach.
Vice President - Emma Stine
Grad 2020 - Mechanical Engineering, Masters in Agriculture
As a proud Idahoan, Emma loves hiking, camping, tater tots over fries, salsa dancing and people who don’t mind bad dancing. She joined EWB in order to find a group of students who strived to be ethical, globally minded, and compassionate professionals in their field. Her favorite EWB memory is going to her first conference through EWB and meeting all these awesome Cal Poly students and professionals, having thoughtful, critical conversations and playing ABBA when she turned 19 during the conference… to of course become a dancing queen.
2018-2019
Officers and Project Managers
President - Payton Thatcher
Grad 2019 - Economics (conc. Information Systems)
Payton is a 4th year Economics major from Redondo Beach, California. He joined EWB because he was interested in joining a club that made an impact in helping other people while using skills learned in the classroom. His favorite memory from EWB is the first club camping trip he got to go on during his 2nd year. Outside of EWB and the classroom you can find him fishing in Morro Bay or hiking Bishop's.
Vice President - Marta Galambos
Grad 2019 - Civil Engineering
Originally from Colorado, Marta is currently enjoying her fourth year at Cal Poly. She decided to get more involved with EWB her second year and is so glad she did! Some of her favorite EWB experiences include being a design lead on the Thailand team, volunteering with IMPACT, and traveling to the United Nations headquarters in New York for the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum. During her free time, Marta loves exploring the outdoors in any season.