Meet the Team
We’re a group of women looking to help inspire and empower minorities in Civil Engineering and Construction-related professions.
Click on a photo to learn about each member!
Gabriela Yáñez González
Olivia Spencer
Kate Tsui
Maria Lyka Aduna
Mellissa Quispe Sanchez
Gabriela Yáñez González
I am from Añasco, Puerto Rico. Growing up, construction of buildings, bridges and other structures always caught my attention. That's where my interest and love for civil engineering started. Currently, I am pursuing a doctoral degree in Structural Engineering form the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am mostly interested in Structural Engineering because I find it fascinating how forces can act upon the built environment and how by understanding and analyzing them we can create more resilient structures.
When I was an undergrad in college at University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, Sofía approached me and other girls with the idea of creating some sort of support group for women in the civil engineering field. We then started fostering and developing the idea into the community we know now and will continue to adapt for many years to come. I have always liked sharing the knowledge of Civil Engineering with everyone, big and small. By being in the Outreach Committee, I want to help create resources and educational content for everyone to learn, use and enjoy.
What I am proud of so far in my career is achieving my masters and continuing my academic journey to obtain the PhD. I am also proud of the Girls in Civil project and seeing throughout the years what it has transformed into and the people we have helped in the process. I want to through my work in Civil Engineering, help build a more equitable and resilient work. While uplifting and empowering the Girls in Civil as we help one another to be successful in this industry.
Olivia Spencer
I am from Greenville, South Carolina and am currently studying at Clemson University! I decided to study Civil Engineering after finding out about Humanitarian Engineering, which uses Civil and Environmental concepts to improve infrastructure and quality of life in high-need areas! I was volunteering a lot in high school and I realized I wanted to use my STEM background to help make improvements in at-risk areas !
I had been following GIC on instagram for about a year when the Outreach Committee opportunity came up! I am super interested in the female perspective on engineering and am constantly wanting to inspire more women to join the field. I would love to help educate the young population with this position as well and improve the way we view CE and its impact!
I also work with an organization called Clemson Engineers for Developing Communities and I have gotten to make impacts in local and international communities, as well as our own education system at my University. I want to improve the quality of life for as many people as I possibly can in a sustainable and equitable manner.
I am from Brooklyn, New York studying Civil Engineering and Construction management at the New York City College of Technology. I have always been a problem solver, someone who has been interested in how things are made and growing up in a city has guided me towards the construction and surveyors that roam around.
I heard of GIC from Instagram, with the trend “Little Miss” where there were posts highlighting different disciplines of civil engineers. I was one of those people who reposted my story saying that it was me and saw other friends reposting with their character. I had really struggled in my first year of studying in civil engineering, because I was the only girl in class and rendered unnecessary attention. So finding the GIC page with comments and posts highlighting other girls made the field more welcoming with a positive community.
I had worked in the Architecture department of the NYC Department for the Aging. This division has a focus for the senior centers and my favorite part was the weekly adventures out around the different boroughs. My supervisor had let me lead the surveying of the different buildings and taught me a lot about what goes into accessible design.
Kate Tsui
Growing up, I was the kind of kid who would spend hours sketching houses and dreaming about how buildings were built. That curiosity never really left me. When the pandemic hit and my family was going through a tough time financially, I had to make a practical choice about my education. Architecture felt out of reach, so I turned to civil engineering, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. It led me to structural engineering, where I get to combine the creativity I've always loved with the technical challenge of making sure buildings are truly safe for the people who use them. Now, as I pursue my Master of Science in Civil Engineering at the Technological University of the Philippines, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
I came across Girls in Civil on LinkedIn, and something about it just clicked with me. The Outreach Committee, in particular, felt like a natural fit because I know firsthand how much it matters to see women taking up space in this field. There were moments in my journey where I felt uncertain or out of place, and I think about how different things might have felt if I had a stronger community around me earlier on. That's exactly why I want to be part of this, to help create the kind of supportive, inclusive environment that makes other women feel like they belong here too.
I won't pretend the road has been easy. Civil engineering is demanding, and there were plenty of moments I questioned myself. But I kept going, and along the way I picked up real experience in technical drawings, project coordination, and working as part of a team. More than the technical skills, though, I'm proud of how much I've grown as a person. I want to keep building on that, working on projects that genuinely matter, being someone my team can count on, and now, hopefully, being someone that younger women in this field can look to as proof that they can do it too.
Maria Lyka Aduna
Mellissa Quispe Sanchez
I am from Lima, Peru, and a recent Civil Engineering graduate from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. My passion for Civil Engineering began at a young age, driven by a fascination with how complex structures come to life. I was especially inspired by watching a television program about the construction of a skyscraper, it was incredible to see how vision, design, and engineering come together to shape entire cities. That moment sparked my desire to be part of building the world around us.
I am most interested in Construction Management and Project Management within Civil Engineering. I am particularly interested in this field because it combines technical knowledge with leadership, planning, and decision-making. I enjoy the idea of coordinating teams, optimizing resources, and ensuring that projects are delivered efficiently in terms of time and cost.
I heard about Girls in Civil through social media, where I came across their initiatives promoting women in Civil Engineering and creating a supportive international community. I was interested because it focuses on connecting with a wider community and creating opportunities to inspire more women to pursue Civil Engineering. Through this role, I hope to contribute by helping expand the organization’s reach, promote its initiatives, and encourage more girls to explore STEM fields. I want to contribute to the development of impactful and well-managed projects that improve people’s lives, inspired by the purpose of civil engineering in creating safe, functional infrastructure for communities.
I am proud of the resilience and growth I have developed throughout my Civil Engineering journey, learning to trust my abilities and push forward through challenges. Being the first woman engineer in my family is especially meaningful to me, as it represents breaking new ground and paving the way for future generations.
In the long term, I aspire to take on leadership roles where I can drive innovation, improve industry practices, and help shape more sustainable and efficient built environments. I am deeply passionate about empowering others, especially women in STEM, and inspiring younger girls to pursue these paths with confidence, knowing they are not alone. Outside of engineering, I enjoy painting in watercolor as a way to unwind, and I am a big cat lover.
Past Members
Yasmeen Ibraheim
Keyshla M. González Lorenzo
Keyshla M. González Lorenzo
I'm from Aguadilla, PR. Pursuing a dual bachelor's degree in civil engineering and surveying and topography with a minor concentration in resilient infrastructure and sustainability in University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. I've decided to study civil engineering because I wanted to get my master's degree in architecture and surveying and topography because it complements and expands my knowledge. I have always been amazed on how such great structures can be designed and constructed and this is why I decided to stay in these amazing fields. I am most interested in project management due to the diversity this field has, and also because I have the chance to be some days at the office and other days in the field learning from different disciplines.
I heard from GIC from a workshop announced through Instagram. What made me interested in the outreach committee was to be able to provide my knowledge while still learning to different girls throughout the world. I've had the chance to get involved in different associations and also get the chance to compete in teams such as Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe while representing Puerto Rico and gaining personal and professional skills. Getting involved in associations is something I highly recommend since it gives a lot of benefits and growth while also networking.
I’m from Iraq and currently live and study in Chicago, IL, pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago. My passion for civil engineering stems from my family’s deep-rooted history in construction and design. In our community, we became known as “The Architects” because of the beautiful structures we created. Growing up, I watched my grandfather analyze blueprints and collaborate with engineers. Those moments stuck with me and inspired me to turn my passion into a profession, and that's why I decided to pursue civil engineering.
I'm interested in structural engineering because it's the reason I chose civil engineering in the first place. Living and studying in downtown Chicago, I’m constantly surrounded by towering skyscrapers and incredible architecture. The skyline never fails to amaze me, and it inspires me every day. I want to understand what makes these structures possible, the engineering behind their strength, stability, and design. My goal is to learn as much as I can and, one day, contribute to creating buildings like that.
I heard about GIC through social media. The ASCE UIC chapter often reposts GIC content, so I was interested and decided to follow GIC on Instagram. I really like the concept of Girls in Civil. I think it's a cute organization where you don't have to choose between being feminine and working in a male-dominated field. I think it brings civil engineering a little more life and I can definitely see it inspiring more women to pursue civil engineering in the future.