Senior Spotlight: Anya Dias-Hawkins

When Anya Dias-Hawkins first came to Duke, she wasn’t certain that engineering was what she wanted to do. Then in her freshman year, she learned about Duke Engineers for International Development (DEID) — a student organization that carries out high-impact building projects around the globe — and the rest was history.

Now a senior, Anya reflects fondly on her 4-year journey with DEID, which took her to countries from Bolivia to Eswatini and witnessed her growth from newbie member to co-president of the organization. The life-changing experiences and relationships she gained along the way not only confirmed that civil engineering was the path for her, but also taught her that engineering does not exist in a vacuum: for Anya, it’s crucial for engineers to understand how their work will impact people, and how those same people will impact them in turn.

After graduation, Anya is heading to the University of Colorado in Boulder to do a PhD program in Civil Systems Engineering. There, she will continue pursuing her passions for researching, designing, and implementing equitable and resilient infrastructure for communities facings risks from natural disasters.