Warm greetings from the Civil Engineering program at Carroll College!
We hope this message finds you well! As valued alumni and supporters of our program, you remain an important part of our academic and professional community. Through this annual newsletter, we hope to stay connected and continue strengthening our broader community. There is much we’d like to share, and we hope you enjoy the highlights below – including this video message from Dr. Shaye Bodine sharing her commitment to helping every student succeed both academically and in achieving their life goals.
Thank you for being a part of our department’s legacy!
Carroll Engineering Program Faculty & Staff
Dr. Mary Keeffe, Dr. Tony Szpilka, Dr. Shaye Bodine
Dr. Recep Birgul, Dr. Ron Breitmeyer, & Asst. Stephanie Metzger
Engineering Students Spotlight
Joselyn Reisner (Civil Engineering ‘27) was awarded the WTS Sharon D. Banks Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship. This scholarship in the amount of $4,000 is awarded to women pursuing undergraduate studies in transportation or a related field and honors Sharon D. Banks, general manager of Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District in Oakland, CA, during most of the 1990s. She led the agency in a pioneering effort to introduce cultural and organizational changes aimed at motivating the public transit workforce. She was a member of the WTS Advisory Board and received the WTS San Francisco Chapter Woman and Employer of the Year Awards.
Photo:
Congratulations, Joselyn!
Chase Kilcup (Civil Engineering ‘26) is beginning his engineering career with a self-fundraised six month internship with EMI in South Africa. EMI is a Christian nonprofit organization founded on the idea that architects, engineers, and design and construction professionals have an important part to play in world missions. They design and build projects that bring hope to communities around the world. Chase will be living in Cape Town and working 40 hours a week, and after hours he will be ministering to locals.
We are beyond excited for Chase and this incredible opportunity!
“In my upcoming internship, I will be placed in Cape Town, South Africa, from this upcoming July to December. EMI seeks to see people restored by God and the world restored through design. The projects that I will get to be a part of not only bring health to those who are in need, but they bring eternal health to those who need the gospel. I am excited to use the skills and faith that developed within me at Carroll College to glorify our Lord.”
~ Chase Kilcup, senior, Puyallup, WA
Student ASCE Chapter
By Joselyn Reisner, ASCE Co-President
The Carroll College American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter has been hard at work preparing for the Steel Bridge Competition at this year’s PNW Student Symposium, hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage. For the first time in five years, our chapter is returning to this competition, and the effort has truly been a full‑team endeavor. It has been a privilege to collaborate with fellow members and help lead the design process to ensure we are competition‑ready.
With the added challenge of traveling to Alaska, fundraising has taken on heightened importance for our chapter. Our Annual Cornhole Tournament was a great success, and we extend our sincere thanks to the sponsors who made it possible. We look forward to Saint's Giving Day this spring to continue to fundraise for the support of travel and materials. Through collaboration and innovation, the team completed the bridge design and drawings during the fall semester, positioning us well for efficient fabrication. We are especially grateful to Dr. Birgul for his guidance and support as we learned new modeling software essential to our design work.
Fabrication has been in full swing throughout the spring semester thanks to the generous donation of steel from Pacific Steel and Recycling. With build-days scheduled and a dedicated construction team, we are optimistic about competing strongly against other schools in Region 8. The team’s momentum continues to grow as we approach competition, and we are excited to showcase the results of this year’s collective effort.
Here are a few bullet points of what we’ve been doing this school year:
- Student Chapter Introduction Meeting with Pizza
- Joselyn Reisner and Luke Decker presented at the Joint Engineers Conference
- Third Annual Cornhole Tournament raised over $3,000 (see pictures below)
- Great West Guest Speaker Presentation
- Designed and fabricated steel bridge to be transported to Alaska
- Attended the Resume Workshop and Mock Interview Night hosted by the state Montana ASCE
- Six students and one faculty advisor will travel to Anchorage in April to compete
Engineers Without Borders Update
The Carroll College Chapter of Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB) is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people in developing communities worldwide through sustainable community development projects and preparing future leaders who are well equipped to solve the world's most pressing problems. Take a few moments to learn about the various projects.
EWB - GUATEMALA
Carroll Students Continue to Structurally Strengthen a School in Guatemala
Carroll College Engineers Without Borders (EWB) team traveled to Guatemala in January to retrofit school buildings to withstand earthquakes while teaching seismically resilient construction techniques. The diverse project implementation team consisted of five students from engineering, chemistry, health sciences, international relations, and nursing. The students were accompanied by a professional engineer from Morrison-Maierle and two Carroll College chaperones. Working with local craftsmen, the EWB team rolled up their sleeves to mix concrete by hand and place hundreds of CMU blocks.
“Overall, this trip was incredible. I found great joy and satisfaction in many different areas. Seeing what our team could accomplish in a week with hard work and dedication made all of the preparation feel so worthwhile. Developing connections with those at the school and hearing about how our work improves their life truly warmed my heart.”
~ Jaden Brown, junior, Civil Engineering with minor in Hispanic Studies, Helena, MT
The 2026 travel team worked with community partners to reinforce a classroom building by constructing concrete wall footings and a CMU shear and bearing wall to the lower level of the multistory building. The school is located in the community of Xejuyup, which is prone to frequent and strong earthquakes. Since May 2012, a team of Carroll students, faculty, and professional mentors has been collaborating with community partners to construct over 25 structural support walls that are required to provide adequate protection of the school against earthquakes. Building off a fifteen-year collaboration between Carroll College, the Diocese of Helena, and the Centro Educativo Santiago de la Asunción, future trips will include implementing more structural walls and continued monitoring and evaluation.
For more information, see the full article here!
Many thanks are due to those who gave financially and made this trip possible! We are also incredibly thankful to Morrison-Maierle for their donation of a professional engineer to prepare for the construction project and travel with the team from Carroll College for many years. EWB projects unite student volunteers and community members to build appropriate, long-lasting solutions for infrastructure needs.
Partner with Carroll EWB and make a difference!
The Carroll College EWB program is run exclusively by student volunteers, overseen by faculty volunteers, and made possible by generous gifts from sponsors like you. You can be a critical part of the impact our students continue to make in Guatemala. To learn more about supporting EWB opportunities, you can utilize one of these options:
Give through the March 19-20, 2026, Saints Giving Day 24-hour campaign
Give anytime through this link - Give Now Here (select “Other - Area of Your Choice” and search for ‘Engineers without Borders Fund’)
EWB - UGANDA
Conclusion of EWB Uganda Program
After a successful ten-year partnership with Holy Trinity Senior Secondary School and the villagers in Kawango, Uganda, Carroll’s EWB Uganda team has completed their program there. Over the course of seven trips from May 2016 through June 2024, the team successively planned and implemented the rehabilitation of all three wells in the village, the drilling of a new well on the school’s campus, installation of storage tanks and a water distribution network at the school, and enhancement of the school’s water supply by installing rainwater catchment tanks near the main campus buildings. The EWB team has also undertaken studies to recommend improvements to the school’s sanitation system.
During this period, enrollment at Holy Trinity School has nearly doubled—from 350 to more than 630 students—and the school has constructed two dormitories, as well as buildings to house computer and science laboratories. The introduction of electricity to the village in 2021 also brought major improvements to both the village and the school. Much of this work has been funded by support from the Helena community through The Julius Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization, and is still ongoing, as an enlarged kitchen/dining facility and a new boys’ dormitory are currently in progress.
This accelerating growth has led Holy Trinity School to shift its attention from water and sanitation projects to building construction, on a more rapid scale than would be feasible for the EWB team to sustain with annual site visits. It might be said, then, that Holy Trinity School has “graduated” from its initial reliance on EWB partnership, to a period of self-guided development, which is precisely the goal for which EWB programs aim!
Academic Scholarship Program
This school year Carroll College hosted their second Academic Scholarship Program events – one on campus in the fall and two on the road in January (Spokane, WA & Boise, ID). Admitted students with at least a 3.0 GPA have the chance to receive additional scholarship dollars. The event had two faculty-led activities: 1) a microclass with a collaborative group project, and 2) an individual interview. All participating students will receive some additional scholarship dollars based on faculty recommendations. Scholarships will include tiered awards between $1,000 - $9,000 all the way up to a 100% tuition scholarship. This program has been a big success! Click here for more information about the program.
Alumni Stories Wanted!
A few Carroll Engineering alumni are featured on our website, and we would love to add to the success stories! Here’s a link to the current engineering alumni webpage.
We would love to hear what you have been up to since graduating from Carroll College! Please take a few minutes to fill out the following survey if you’d like. Faculty will look through submissions and add a selection to our alumni website.
Survey Link: Please click here to let us know what you have been doing since graduation!
Saints Giving Day
March 20–21, 2025, Noon to Noon
Our engineering student clubs are run exclusively by student volunteers, overseen by faculty volunteers, and are only made possible by generous gifts from sponsors like you!
To support our EWB and ASCE student chapters, please give through one of these options:
- Saints Giving Day 24-hour campaign on March 20-21: Saints Giving Day Page
Please select the student chapter you’d like to donate to during checkout:
Engineers Without Borders
American Society of Civil Engineers - ASCE
- Give Now Anytime: Online Giving Form (search for Engineering Department Fund, ASCE, or Engineers without Borders fund)
To financially support the Civil Engineering program, please visit Give Now Here Anytime: Online Giving Form (Engineering Department Fund) or contact the Office of Institutional Advancement, at advancement@carroll.edu or 406-447-449.
It’s a joy to share updates about our Carroll CE program with our fantastic alumni and supporters. Thank you for your investment in the Carroll Civil Engineering program!
~ Carroll Engineering Department
Dr. Mary Keeffe, Dr. Tony Szpilka, Dr. Shaye Bodine, Dr. Recep Birgul, Dr. Ron Breitmeyer, and Asst. Stephanie Metzger