Celebrating Diversity - Emily Ritzdorf

May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In the College of Engineering, all are welcome. To better share the stories of how our faculty, staff, students and alumni are diverse in their many varying forms, we are celebrating various heritage and other nationally recognized months. This recognition will include stories about those in our greater engineering community, as well as sharing events and other opportunities.

Emily Ritzdorf

Student: Architectural Engineering

Q: Describe a bit about your personal and/or professional background.

A: I am originally from China and was adopted by my parents as a baby. Nebraska is the only place I have ever called home. I grew up in a small town of about 500 people where my mom was my 2nd-grade teacher and my dad could walk to work a the local bank. My parents understood the value of education and have been fundamental factors to where I am at today. Growing up in a small rural town, I was not exposed to engineering until my senior year of high school. Math, science, and art were the classes I was drawn to most, but it wasn't until I visited with faculty did I know I wanted to study engineering. I am a graduating senior majoring in Architectural Engineering with an emphasis in lighting/electrical and will return in the fall to finish my master's degree. I plan on interning with Burns & McDonnell over the summer to apply the technical skills learned throughout my courses.

Q: What is your role in the College of Engineering – and what do you enjoy (love!) about what you are doing?

A: I am a member of the Architectural Engineering Student Leadership Advisory Committee (AESLAC) which acts as the connection point between the students, faculty, and industry throughout the community. This has given me the opportunity to form relationships with professionals who have worked in the industry for years to freshmen who are at the very beginnings of their engineering journey.

I am a former member of Engineering Ambassadors, which was a student organization that presented STEM topics from kindergarten to 12th grade. This allowed me a way to educate students from a young age to inspire their idea of what an engineer could do. As a small-town kid, I was not aware of the possibilities of a STEM major. I have been able to go back to small towns and help be an active change in the awareness of STEM fields. The reason I loved this was that when I returned to a school a year later, they still remembered me and the activities we did together.

Q: Why is your heritage meaningful to you and your family? Is there a specific example/event/tradition of how you showcase or celebrate your heritage in its many forms?

A: Celebrating one's heritage is important to my family and me because although our blood isn't the same we can still honor the people and traditions from the past. This diversity of my upbringing has allowed me a unique outlook on life and realize that people are not that different from one another.

Q: What advice can you give students or others considering or pursuing engineering as a career?

A: Showing up. The ability to show up to class, to office hours, to student organizations, or events can be the key points to making those important connections with future coworkers, or employers. Technical skills are very important to becoming an engineer, however, learning to build relationships can help you go even farther in your career.