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%u201cI HAPPENED TO FALL INTO THIS HUMANITARIAN WORK, AND I THOUGHT, %u2018THIS IS AMAZING!%u2019 I LOVED IT SO MUCH!%u201dMollie Mockert 12 CEGE | CSE.UMN.EDU/CEGE %u201cArt and math; those are the two parts of my brain,%u201d says Mollie Mockert (BCE 2025). %u201cOne part is really technical and likes to follow steps, so, Math. Another part of my brain seeks creative outlets. I%u2019ve worked with a lot of creative, physical art forms like ceramics, glass, and metal work; I love doing pottery and painting.%u201d Because of her love for math and art, engineering seemed to be a good career fit for her. Another big part of her make-up, that maybe supersedes the rest, is her desire to be of service to others, which it turns out is a perfect fit with civil engineering.Mockert%u2019s desire to be of service was cemented through her volunteer experience with the Appalachian Service Project (ASP). She started volunteering with that organization in high school and continued during summers throughout her time at the University of Minnesota. Now, post-graduation, she is serving for one more year through ASP%u2019s Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program is designed for people to serve for one year leading one of ASP%u2019s year-round centers. On her decision to continue, Mockert said, %u201cI wanted to be able to work on the humanitarian side of things for a little longer. I am getting a lot out of my work with ASP and contributing a lot at this point, too. It is an opportunity I will not get again.%u201d%u201cThis type of work is unique. You get to know the homeowners. You hear their life stories, and it breaks down assumptions that you have about people. When I first came, I wondered, why are these people struggling so much? Why is there a housing crisis in this area? When I got to know them, I learned that mining is changing and changing their lives. I learned about generational trauma that impacts them still. We would meet and often hang out with the kids that were living in the houses we worked on. I saw many similarities between us, but these families are in such unfortunate conditions. I realized there are not that many differences other than our circumstances STUDENTPROFILEMOLLIE MOCKERTHAS AN ENGINEER%u2019S MIND ANDAN ENGINEER%u2019S HEART