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Some students go to college to land a career, others go to college to pursue their dreams, and still others enroll to save the world. Avani Kavathekar, who will graduate this spring with a BS in environmental engineering and a master’s in peace engineering, spent her college career combining all three intentions – from extracurriculars to major to co-op, she strove to make a difference both locally and internationally.

Kavathekar joined Drexel Engineering hoping to gain hands-on experience at established firms through co-ops and research opportunities.

“Coming to Drexel, I was really interested in working on real projects, and the co-ops Drexel offers were the best way to get that experience,” she said. “I was also driven to work on climate and sustainability research, and the many labs and groups working on that research within CAEE was a big draw.”

Through her co-ops at the U.S. Green Building Council, Langan Engineering and NV5, Kavathekar didn’t just reinforce and build on skills learned in the classroom – she also learned how to collaborate with different people and learn under different managers, as well as the importance of clear and constant communication.

Back on campus, Kavathekar has stayed involved in various projects to improve climate and sustainability efforts, working as a student assistant at Drexel’s Environmental Collaboratory for three years and organizing the first-ever the delegates of which developed a statement for COP27 in 2022. She even co-founded of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists and is co-chair for the University’s Climate Action Plan .

Working to improve the world doesn’t stop at the national level. Avani is also a lead for a project improving water, sanitation, and hydration at a rural school in Guatemala as well as the outreach director for Drexel’s Engineers Without Borders () chapter.

“EWB was a big part of shaping my career goals to focus on designing with communities in areas that need it the most,” she said. “As the Guatemala project lead, I have gained valuable experience in managing a team of engineers and non-engineers through different design phases as well as working closely with our community partners.”

Avani’s senior design project is a continuation of her work abroad, building climate resilience to ever-increasing extreme weather events in an informal asylum seeker camp in Reynosa, Mexico through a partnership with .

“These camps experience extreme weather events that are projected to only get worse due to climate change, so we are creating a holistic design plan that models the current flood and heat risk in the camps,” she said. “We are now designing a water reuse system that captures rainwater that would otherwise flood the camps, filters it, and stores it for use for applications like toilet flushing, laundry, and irrigation.”

The project is a callback to her Freshman Design class five years ago, a section taught by Dr. Joseph Hughes and focused on refugee camp design.

“That class was my first exposure to learning just how much of an impact small design decisions made by engineers and designers can have on the lives of people who use and interact with the project,” Kavathekar said. “I became really interested in how engineers can work closely with communities and clients to create projects that are community-driven, sustainable, and equitable”

That class, in turn, led to her enrolling in Community-Based Design with Dr. Mira Olson and ultimately guided her towards pursuing a dual degree, with a master’s in Peace Engineering . Drexel’s Peace Engineering graduate degree, the first of its kind, is dedicated to preventing and reducing violent conflict through education and research.

After graduation, Kavathekar’s not going to stop fighting the good fight. She’ll be joining the workforce in New York City as a water engineer at Arcadis, focusing on climate resilience and adaptation as well as stormwater management.