Service-Learning Part 1:

2023 E2 Camp Counselor (C2)    

2024 & 2025 E2 Lead Counselor

Service-Learning E2 Experience

Serving as an E2 Camp Counselor (C2) for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering was one of the most meaningful service-learning experiences of my undergraduate career. As an E2C2, I worked directly with incoming engineering students to help them transition to college, build confidence, and feel welcome in the Fulton community. This role required leadership, mentorship, communication, and a deep commitment to supporting students from diverse backgrounds. It also strengthened my understanding of how engineers serve society, not only through technical work, but through community-building, empathy, and human-centered support.

What I Did as an E2C2 (Service-Learning Work Completed)

My responsibilities as a C2 were broad and hands-on. According to the handbook, C2s are expected to facilitate E2 participants' activities and serve as positive role models. C2s solve problems, participate in and lead workshops, offer advice to participants, and advise students throughout the duration of the program. I lived this every day at camp.

Key responsibilities I completed:

• Led engineering-themed activities such as SPARKYS’ Vista, Burma Bridge, Car Building/Racing, Jeopardy, and Sparky’s Amazing Race.

• Mentored incoming first-year engineering students, helping them navigate nerves, build friendships, and feel confident entering ASU.

• Managed group dynamics, encouraged participation, and ensured every student felt included.

• Facilitated teamwork and problem-solving, especially during engineering design challenges.

• Maintained safety and accountability, including nightly check-ins and constant communication with E2 Leads.

• Modeled professionalism, C2s are representatives of ASU and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and are expected to act as such.

This work required patience, leadership, and the ability to adapt quickly, especially when students struggled, felt overwhelmed, or needed extra support.

How This Experience Relates to My GCSP Theme: Sustainability. 

My GCSP theme is Sustainability, and E2 is connected to this theme in a human-centered way. Sustainability is not only about technology, but it’s also about building communities that can thrive, collaborate, and support one another. At E2, I saw firsthand how important it is for engineers to develop social awareness, empathy, communication skills, and team-based problem-solving. These are the same qualities needed to design sustainable systems that work for real people. Activities like SPARKYS’ Vista taught students to recognize the importance of meeting customer requirements and expectations and to listen actively to stakeholders. This aligns with sustainable engineering, where solutions must be shaped by community needs rather than solely by technical feasibility. By mentoring students through these activities, I helped them develop the mindset required to build sustainable, human-centered technologies, reinforcing my own commitment to sustainability in engineering.

Value of This Service-Learning 

Experience for My Academic and Professional Goals:  Serving as a C2 strengthened skills that directly support my future career in engineering, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy:

Leadership & Mentorship:  I learned how to guide groups, manage conflict, and support students emotionally and academically. These skills translate directly to leading engineering teams.

Communication:  Explaining engineering concepts to new students helped me become clearer, more patient, and more adaptable in my communication.

Teamwork & Collaboration:  Many activities required me to help students coordinate roles, solve problems, and work under pressure—mirroring real engineering environments.

Problem-Solving Under Uncertainty:  Camp schedules change, students get overwhelmed, and activities don’t always go as planned. I learned to stay calm, think quickly, and support others through challenges.

Service-Oriented Engineering Mindset:  This experience reminded me that engineering is ultimately about people. Whether I’m working on sustainable materials, solid-state batteries, or manufacturing processes, the goal is always to improve lives.

Overall Reflection

My service-learning work as an E2 Camp Counselor and Lead helped me grow as a leader, mentor, and community member. I learned how to support students from diverse backgrounds, foster collaboration, and create an environment where everyone feels valued. This experience strengthened my commitment to becoming an engineer who not only solves technical problems but also uplifts others and contributes to a more sustainable, inclusive future.

E2 taught me that service is not separate from engineering; it is at the heart of it.

Service-Learning Part 2 

Fall 2023 FSE 104 EPICS Gold I: Ogoja Biogas Project

EPICS Ogoja Biogas Project

During Fall 2023, I served on the EPICS Ogoja Biogas team, an interdisciplinary engineering group dedicated to designing a sustainable biogas digester for the Ogoja Refugee Camp in Nigeria. This project was a long-term collaboration with our community partner, Dr. Isaac Zama, founder of AMBA Farmers’ Voice, an organization committed to agricultural education and improving food production for Southern Cameroonian refugees. As the documentation states, AMBA Farmers’ Voice aims “to promote agricultural education and extension services… to increase food production” for displaced communities. Our project directly supported this mission by developing a renewable fuel source that could reduce deforestation, improve cooking safety, and increase energy access for refugees.

What I Did (Service-Learning Work Completed)

As part of this EPICS team, I contributed to the design, research, and development of a biogas digesting system capable of converting pig waste into methane for cooking fuel. The Ogoja camp faces severe shortages of firewood and other energy sources, leaving families without a reliable means to cook. Our goal was to create a low-cost, locally maintainable, and safe biogas system that could be built using materials available near the camp.

My specific contributions included: Budget Lead

I was responsible for evaluating material costs, comparing commercial biogas systems, and determining which components could be sourced locally and which needed to be shipped. This included analyzing systems like HomeBiogas, Puxin, and TeenWin, and helping the team determine that the HomeBiogas 2 system was the most effective benchmark. As the report notes, “Materials sent to the camp by us must cost under 200 dollars. Most of the biogas machines should be built with local materials.

Design & Research Support

I assisted in researching methane production rates, filtration methods, safety considerations, storage options (inner tubes, drums, PVC), and environmental risks such as hydrogen sulfide exposure

The report highlights that the system “must be able to produce 1000 liters of biogas daily and must not threaten the safety of those using it, specifications our team worked to meet.

Community-Partner Collaboration

Our team met regularly with Dr. Zama and local contacts in Cameroon to understand available materials, cultural considerations, environmental constraints, safety concerns, and long-term sustainability. The needs assessment emphasized that refugees have received little support and need cooking fuel, as there is no wood nearby. Our design decisions were shaped by these realities.

Prototype Development

I supported the prototyping process by helping evaluate materials, reviewing sketches, and contributing to the functional decomposition and concept convergence stages. Our prototype used: a 55-gallon drum, PVC piping, a slurry inlet, a gas outlet with a shutoff valve, and filtration components.

The final design was simple, maintainable, and aligned with the camp’s resource limitations.

How This Experience Relates to My GCSP Theme: Sustainability

This project is directly aligned with my GCSP theme of Sustainability. The Ogoja camp faces environmental, economic, and social challenges that require sustainable engineering solutions. Our biogas digester addresses all three pillars of sustainability: 

Environmental Sustainability: Reduces deforestation by replacing wood-burning stoves, converts waste into usable energy, minimizes harmful emissions through filtration, and supports long-term ecological health.

Economic Sustainability: Uses low-cost, locally available materials, reduces reliance on expensive, imported fuel, and provides a long-term, renewable energy source.

Social Sustainability: Improves cooking safety, supports food preparation and daily living, strengthens community resilience, and aligns with AMBA Farmers’ Voice’s mission to increase food production. This project helped me understand how sustainable engineering must be grounded in real human needs, not just technical performance.

Value of The Ogaja Bio Gas Project Experience 

The FSE 104 EPICS Gold I project strengthened my engineering identity and helped me grow in several key areas: 

1. Human-Centered Engineering: I learned to design solutions for communities with limited resources, unpredictable conditions, and unique cultural contexts. This experience taught me that sustainability requires empathy, adaptability, and deep listening.

2. Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Our team included chemical, mechanical, materials, and computer science engineers. Working together helped me appreciate how complex problems require diverse perspectives.

3. Technical Growth: I gained experience in methane production, waste-to-energy systems, filtration design, safety analysis, prototyping, and testing. These skills directly support my long-term goals in clean energy and sustainable materials.

4. Global Awareness: Understanding the challenges faced by refugees in Ogoja broadened my worldview and reinforced my commitment to engineering solutions that uplift underserved communities.

5. Professional Development: As Budget Lead, I learned how to evaluate costs, justify design decisions, communicate with stakeholders, manage constraints, and balance performance with affordability. These skills will be essential in my future career in advanced manufacturing and sustainable engineering.

Overall Reflection

My work on the Ogoja Biogas Project was one of the most meaningful service-learning experiences of my undergraduate career. It taught me how engineering can directly improve lives, especially in communities facing displacement, resource scarcity, and environmental challenges. This project strengthened my commitment to sustainability and showed me how engineers can create real impact through thoughtful, community-driven design. Through EPICS, I learned that engineering is not just about solving technical problems.  It’s about serving people.