UNF student named one of the 10 collegiate ‘New Faces of Civil Engineering’
Tiffany Ritch, University of North Florida civil engineering student, has been chosen by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as part of a cohort of ten students to represent the 2022 collegiate New Faces of Civil Engineering.
Each year, the ASCE chooses a cohort of upcoming civil engineers who are recognized as super achievers and personify the promise of the profession. Ritch was picked for having demonstrated academic excellence, community service work, organizational leadership, communication skills and industry involvement.
Having a talent for math was the ticket to a promising career in civil engineering for Ritch, a talent that also helped her rise out of a period of homelessness in her youth. Watching her mother struggle to make ends meet drove Ritch to begin pursuing a successful college education. As she held down two jobs at local restaurants while still in high school, Ritch learned calculus at Santa Fe College from a former engineer and realized her aptitude would lead to civil engineering success.
Continuing her education at UNF, Ritch joined the UNF ASCE student chapter and proudly raised more than $2,500 as fundraising chair. “Participating in ASCE UNF changed my college career by forcing me to have courage and believe in myself.”
Examining layers of road pavement during an internship sealed a commitment to specialize in transportation engineering. “I chose civil engineering because I wanted to make the world a better place to live, and I still do,” Ritch said. “And with the career I’ve chosen, I can do that every day.”
Ritch says she has also grown in confidence and leadership through involvement with the Society of Women Engineers and the Florida Engineering Society, and is very proud to be an Osprey.