2/28/2014 Kristina Shidlauski
Written by Kristina Shidlauski
Rachel Gross, Reshmina William, and Patrick Kennedy
Three CEE students are among those selected as 2014 Knights of St. Patrick, an annual award given by the College of Engineering to students who represent leadership, excellence in character and exceptional contribution to the college and its students. CEE students Rachel Gross, Patrick Kennedy and Reshmina William will be honored along with seven other winners at the annual Knights of St. Patrick Ball in March.
Patrick Kennedy is an Illinois native, hailing from Orland Park, Ill. Kennedy’s primary concentration is in Construction Management with a secondary in Structural Engineering. He is President of Engineering Council, which aims to encourage academic, professional and personal growth by offering leadership opportunities and fostering interdisciplinary relationships within the College of Engineering. He is also Lead CEE Engineering Learning Assistant of the Engineering 100 Program and Advising Head of the CEE Student Committee. Kennedy will graduate in May and will begin his career at ZS Associates, a management consulting firm.
Rachel Gross comes to the Urbana-Champaign area from Highlands Ranch, Colo. Her primary area of concentration is Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Systems, with a secondary in Environmental Engineering. Additionally, Gross is minoring in Environmental Economics and Law, and International Engineering with a focus in British Studies. She is involved in Engineering Council and is the Internal vice president of Illinois’ student chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Gross plans to attend graduate school next year.
Born in India, Reshmina William grew up in Muscat, the capital city of Oman. William’s concentration is in Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering. She is very involved with the student chapter of Engineers Without Borders and recently helped implement a water distribution system in Cameroon. William will graduate in May and is looking forward to graduate school in fall 2014. She plans to study the intersection between public policy and water engineering, with a particular focus on the energy-water nexus.
When asked how they felt about being chosen as Knights, the students said they felt humbled and honored.
“There are so many other incredible people on this campus who are working to shape the world one project at a time,” William says. “I am grateful to have been selected to represent the excellence of character that the Knights represent, and to have been given the opportunity to act as a role model for the campus as a whole.”
The Knights of St. Patrick was originally formed on the University of Missouri, Columbia, campus in 1903 when engineering students declared that St. Patrick must have been an engineer, as nobody but an engineer would have been able to rid Ireland of snakes. Though the original celebration was marked by the engineering student body skipping classes, the tradition has evolved into one of the highest honors given to engineering students on universities throughout the country.