When I first joined “ESIB” in 2019, I thought that it would be a normal university experience, for example: courses,study sessions, tests, exams, and some stressalong the way. 

The first two years were not easy, especially with the pandemic. In fact, I really did not have the chanceto live the proper “university experience”, therefore I wasn’t excited to go back.

We all know that becoming an engineer, especially at “ESIB”, is tough and stressful to accomplish. However, there is one thing that got me through it all: the people.

The people that were at first strangers turned into family. A family that really wants to make an impact and be a support for each other.

While I was in my fourth year, and specifically on February 6, 2023, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurred in southernTurkey near the northern borderof Syria and had a thousandaftershocks. We even felt it here, in Lebanon; that is how strongit was.

It really was a traumatic event for Turkey and Syria. This disaster impacted at least fifteen millionpeople, around 50,000individuals were lost, and nearly 130,000people were injured.

Adding to this, four million buildings were damaged, and about 345,000 apartments were destroyed. Following this event, we had to talk about it in all the classes since it was directly linked to our major as incoming civil engineers.

Furthermore, this incident hit me on a personal level. I was constantly thinking about it, especiallythe people who lost their lives and the ones who got displaced or became homeless and had nothing left to survive.

At thistime, I was the secretary of the ASCE, the American Society of Civil

Engineers – ESIB, USJ Student Chapter. Within the chapter, our mission was mainly focused on serving our community and introducing students to civil engineering while helping them enhance their personal and professional experiences.

Following the earthquake, we were constantly exposed to the news, and I could not stand seeing the horrible scenes shown on allplatforms. Therefore, I proposed to the president of the student chapter, as well as our dean, Dr. WassimRaphael, responsible for all the club’s activities, to act and do what we can to help the families in need in Syria or Turkey. After directly getting approval to launch the activity, I was responsible for spreading the word, within the university in terms of students and faculty members,as well as my friends and family, or any person interested in helping and making an impact. 

That is when my perspective totally changed.

This is what I mean when I say that “the people” got me throughit. I belonged to a place where I could make a difference and help people in need, alongside my colleagues who have the same goal in mind.

I was a scoutfor 13 years of my life, and that is where I learned ,“Togive without waitingfor anything in return”. In fact, I am proud to say that I was able to implement this mentality within the   ASCEStudent Chapter too.

Within a month, and due to the amazing teamwork, we collected many donations and prepared around fifty large boxes full of contributions like food, beverages, blankets, clothes, home appliances. Thanks to the continuous support from our dean, we were ableto reach and send the boxes to familiesin Syria.

Following this project, my motivation to achieve multiplesocial projects grew quickly.I was determined to give accessto all the students to be part of a community like the ASCE Student Chapter and be able to make an impact.

Being part of the ASCE StudentChapter is a rewarding and enriching experience. It is a chance for me to connect with so many like-minded individuals who might have similar goals. It also provides me with a sense of belonging and a chance to make new friends. It offers me opportunities for my personal and professional development, and this is what we offer for all club members. We also have the chanceto organize events,activities, and outings,which really adds a fun and dynamic element to our university experience.

Overall, being a part of the ASCE Student Chapter and being the President for the 2023-2024 Chapter, really gave me the advantage to grow as an individual and to encourage students to be a part of a supportive and outgoing community whileorganizing successful events. Finally, I was able to enhance my teamwork and leadership skills to eventually make the life of an ESIB student an enjoyable and morepleasant experience.

After forming the new board for Chapter 2023-2024 I became a part of anew family. A family motivated and determined to grow on a personal level and as a group. We have built together a safe place where anyone can express their thoughts, opinions, and feelings. We have been able to help each other academically, and support each other through tough times like exam periods, projectdeadlines… Our motto as a club is “We Rise by LiftingOthers.” We try as much aswe can to make an impact on our community, and we believethat this is how we grow as individuals.

During the Christmas break,we collaborated with theNGO “Offre-Joie”. It was a social initiative focused on the rehabilitation of a center in Beirut. The goal of thiscenter is to provide a welcoming space not only forthe elderly but also for those living in precarious conditions, inviting them to spend enriching days at the center, thus creating a supportive atmosphere.

Our social commitment aims to create positive experiences like this one and strengthen our community bonds.

As a civil engineering focused club, it gave the chapter’s membersa chance to understand the different steps of construction on site and all the necessary partiesthat should be working together to makeit happen.

For 2 days, we had the opportunity to work “all hands-on deck” and help as much as we could.

This experience was enriching for all members, while learning, we also impacted the people around us and left our marks. I can just imagine the day whereI will pass by the center in   Beirut, after its finalization, and think “We helped make this happen!”

To conclude, I can say that the ASCE Student Chapter at ESIB-USJ is dedicated to supporting civil engineering students at every step of their college journey. This includes academic support, career development, and future planning. Our objective is to cultivate a communitythat enables studentsto maximize the benefits of the knowledgeand skills they acquire throughout their college years, both presently and in the years to come.

In fact, being a part of the ASCE Student Chapter is one of the biggest and brightest highlights of my university experience.

After 5 years at ESIB, I have built strong relationships with my colleagues and all club members, I have shared with them so many unforgettable memories, and I have done my best to improve the club’s work and mission.

True, the university experience was full of courses, study sessions, tests,exams, and some stress along the way; but after writing this article and you reading it, we can all agree that there was so much more to it.

Lastly, and most importantly, as I previously said, “it is all about the people!”