Sarah Paz

“Through hard work, perseverance and a faith in God, you can live your dreams.” - Ben Carson

Sarah Paz is from Ellicott City, Maryland, and is a Freshman intending on declaring Civil Engineering and is part of the Honors College. She says the best thing about being a Virginia Tech engineer is all of the opportunities that Virginia Tech offers. During her first semester, she attended the Engineering Expo, Civil Engineering Fair, a Clark Construction presentation, and participated in the Boeing Mentorship program. The extensive alumni network at these events was always willing to answer her questions. When she was in middle school, she wanted to be a journalist due to her love for podcasts like How I Built This, Planet Money, and 99% Invisible. Sarah expresses how she still appreciates journalism and even visited the NPR headquarters in Washington, DC for her sixteenth birthday. Through visits to the National Building Museum and cities like Baltimore and DC, she eventually became interested in civil engineering due to her passion for sustainability and infrastructure. Now that she is at Virginia Tech, she would like to be more involved in the Steel Bridge Design Team and in the future become a professional engineer and start her civil engineering firm. She says that she looks forward to working on a project that thousands of people use daily and addressing the topic of sustainability within structural engineering.

Since Sarah has been at Virginia Tech, she’s been part of the Hypatia Program and a member of the Women’s Preview Weekend Committee. Next year, she plans to stay in the community as an upper-class leader. In her free time, Sarah likes biking and listening to podcasts.

Sarah says her role model is her father because, through example, he has instilled the importance of diligence, humility, and balanced life. Sarah explains how her father is her biggest supporter, forever pushing her to be the best that she can be. She hopes to be as passionate and dedicated as her father is in his life and career. Sarah mentioned that her favorite cartoon character is Pinkie Pie due to her infectious enthusiasm and sense of fun. She also shared that she listens to all kinds of music.