Roxanne Acosta is a second year civil engineering major attending California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State L.A.).  The potential of imagination, creativity, and the yearning for development were the roots to Roxanne’s inspiration for becoming a civil engineer.

In her first year at Cal State L.A., Roxanne spent considerable time involved in the community.  This included work with the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) schools program.  She assisted in preparations for MESA Day, helped with coordination and set up during the event, and served as a judge for the MESA competitions.  Roxanne volunteers her time to the College of Engineering outreach program where she has successfully demonstrated leadership ability by counseling new and prospective students.  Roxanne is also an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Society of Hispanic Engineers and Science Students (SHESS), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Roxanne plans to further her education by getting a masters degree followed by a Ph.D.  Her career goal is to become a professor.  As a professor, she would like to provide engaging projects for high school and college students to work on together.  She feels this would allow the high school students to learn and gain inspiration by associating with the college students and it would provide the college students with the opportunity to give back to their communities and provide them with a sense of purpose.

Roxanne is a 2008 HENAAC-Southern California Edison scholarship recipient.