Kaitlyn Aldrich receives Wallace E. Barron Award

2016 May 11

Kaitlyn Aldrich, a senior in civil engineering, was named a Wallace E. Barron Scholar for remarkable achievements in academics and leadership. The Wallace E. Barron Award was established by the Iowa State University Alumni Association to recognize outstanding seniors who display high character, outstanding achievements in academics, and promise for continuing these qualities as alumni.

Below highlights some of the many achievements Aldrich has accomplished over the years.

Chi Epsilon, the Civil Engineering Honor Society, was where Aldrich held one of her first leadership roles. Aldrich was inducted into the organization her first year and was serving on the executive board by her sophomore year. Aldrich was able to improve and revamp the recruiting process of Chi Epsilon at Iowa State from a few students to more than 15 per semester, “Chi Epsilon was one of the first leadership roles I held and one of the first I had to back off from as I got involved in other things. It has been amazing to watch it grow since I was first inducted,” says Aldrich.

She also gained work experience through three internships, two with the environmental engineering consulting firm Veenstra & Kimm, Inc. “I found I was able to apply a lot of coursework to this internship, and I discovered that sometimes simple problems have complex solutions,” says Aldrich. The final internship was with Burns & McDonnell, where she will be working after graduation as a civil engineer in the energy department.