Wow, time flies. A statement I had heard many times that my younger self often dismissed. However, these past, post graduate years, have flown and every year seems to go by faster. I quite enjoy reading the Annual Report to see all the latest developments on the Island and what interesting stories and experiences my peers have to share. It’s a great indication of all the possibilities MVYouth has provided and the recipients have contrived. Thank you MVYouth! I’ve been working at Lee + Ro, in Walnut Creek, California for the past two and a half years. I work as a consulting Project Engineer working with various Bay Area as well as LA County public agencies, municipalities, and Cities. My specialty is the treatment and transport of water and sewage, whether that be pumping water to a reservoir and treating it; or rehabilitating and upgrading wastewater treatment processes at a plant. I am slowly learning some instrumentation and controls engineering through a Project Manager, as well as some HVAC design. Throughout the latter half of COVID I got really into cooking and backpacking. I live for the weekends and love to backpack. There are a couple trips planned for Joshua Tree and Desolation Wilderness this spring. My evenings usually consist of watching Masterchef Australia (or something similar) followed by a meek attempt at cooking gourmet food. I am still involved in Engineers Without Borders – San Francisco Professional Chapter, especially with the Ethiopian Project team in Weledi. As the Tigray-Ethiopian conflict settles down, we’ll investigate our next project. During the past year we managed to finish post implementation monitoring and quality assurance and close out a latrine and handwashing project built in 2016. My guess is it will likely be a new clinic and some minor flooding mitigation.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
Wow, time flies. A statement I had heard many times that my younger self often dismissed. However, these past, post graduate years, have flown and every year seems to go by faster. I quite enjoy reading the Annual Report to see all the latest developments on the Island and what interesting stories and experiences my peers have to share. It’s a great indication of all the possibilities MVYouth has provided and the recipients have contrived. Thank you MVYouth!
I’ve been working at Lee + Ro, in Walnut Creek, California for the past two and a half years. I work as a consulting Project Engineer working with various Bay Area as well as LA County public agencies, municipalities, and Cities. My specialty is the treatment and transport of water and sewage, whether that be pumping water to a reservoir and treating it; or rehabilitating and upgrading wastewater treatment processes at a plant. I am slowly learning some instrumentation and controls engineering through a Project Manager, as well as some HVAC design.
Throughout the latter half of COVID I got really into cooking and backpacking. I live for the weekends and love to backpack. There are a couple trips planned for Joshua Tree and Desolation Wilderness this spring. My evenings usually consist of watching Masterchef Australia (or something similar) followed by a meek attempt at cooking gourmet food.
I am still involved in Engineers Without Borders – San Francisco Professional Chapter, especially with the Ethiopian Project team in Weledi. As the Tigray-Ethiopian conflict settles down, we’ll investigate our next project. During the past year we managed to finish post implementation monitoring and quality assurance and close out a latrine and handwashing project built in 2016. My guess is it will likely be a new clinic and some minor flooding mitigation.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
For better or for worse, it seems like this past year has flown by. It’s been about a year and a half since I started working for Lee + Ro in Walnut Creek, CA. We are a small, but growing, water/wastewater engineering consultant firm. I work as a civil project engineer, helping design, coordinating, and managing the design submissions and construction support. Most of my projects are within the wastewater field and are mainly electrically focused, such as generators, motor control centers, switchgears, and power improvements for wastewater treatment plants. I passed my NCEES Civil Engineering PE Exam last spring and hope to be a fully licensed civil engineer in the state of California by May 2022. Outside of work I have continued to volunteer with Engineers Without Borders (EWB). I am still a part of the San Francisco Professional Chapter and have been working on a project in Weledi, Ethiopia. Unfortunately, part of the community has been destroyed by the TPLF in the Tigray War. Once the conflict starts to de-escalate, we can continue our work, which will likely be rebuilding a clinic and possibly a school. In my free time I like to explore, whether it is walking around San Francisco, hiking in Tahoe, or camping in Big Sur, I feel like I need to take advantage of the bay weekend trip potential. A big thank you to MVYouth for all past, ongoing, and future efforts for the betterment of the island community.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
In July 2020, I successfully defended my thesis ”A Water Balance And Sediment Yield Analysis Model For The Lopez Lake Reservoir”, earning a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cal Poly. In typical fashion, I returned to the Vineyard and resumed working for the Avant Gardener MV during July. There is something special about a Vineyard summer that is impossible to find anywhere else. Starting in August 2020 I moved to Oakland, CA to start my full time job as an engineer for LEE + RO Water/Wastewater Engineers in Walnut Creek, CA. At LEE + RO, I work as a supporting civil engineer whom is getting cross-trained in the mechanical and electrical engineering fields. I’ve been lucky enough to work on a wide arrange of projects, from pump stations in Solano County, to switchgear replacements in Antioch, to HVAC improvements in San Francisco. Living in Oakland has been a great experience. It is in close proximity to San Francisco, but more affordable. Yosemite, Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, Point Reyes, Los Padres, and Redwoods are all within a couple hours’ drive, and make for a great, COVID friendly, weekend trip. COVID depending, I hope to backpack the Lost Coast Trail in NorCal this spring. Organized sports, such as soccer, must remain activities to look forward to in the future. I’m only slightly very depressed… but my hopes of coaching soccer may resume later in 2021. In the meantime my current roommate, and former Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Cal Poly Student Chapter President, are continuing working for EWB. Together we are the Co-Student Outreach Coordinators for the San Francisco Professional (SFP) Chapter and working towards growing the student and young professional population of EWB. EWB SFP has a project in Weledi, Ethiopia, where we are working towards mitigating seasonal flooding.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
Last year I enrolled in California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo’s Civil Engineering Master’s program. I wanted to continue my education to gain research experience and to learn more about my specific concentration within civil engineering. My concentration is water resources, with a specialty in groundwater recharge through stormwater capture and low impact development.I’m hoping to graduate this summer, contingent upon a successful thesis defense. My thesis is to create a model of the stormwater that contributes to Lopez Lake Reservoir in Arroyo Grande, C.A. This model can be used as a predictive tool for modeling different scenarios to help manage reservoir levels.School has been busy as always. I’ve found that I work better with pressure than without. I’d rather have too much to do than too little. I’m sitting for my water resources Principles and Practice of Engineering licensing exam this April. This will get me one step closer to being a practicing engineer. Besides that, I’ve been continuing my work with Engineers Without Borders (EWB), designing a water distribution system for a community in Nicaragua. My hope is to travel to Nicaragua this summer and help finishing the project, and closing out the design phase.My goal is to gain enough experience and open a design firm in conjunction with two engineering friends. We would like to focus the company around energy auditing, sustainable design systems, and low impact development. It’s an idea we came up sitting around in a brewery. However, the more we think about it, the more promise it has. Water and energy are going to be two of the most regulated resources in California. Our company will be tailored around the conservation of both for commercial and residential use.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
As my graduation date rapidly approaches, I can’t believe how fast college has gone by. Senior project is in full swing and companies are having workplace showcases almost weekly. Friends and colleagues have already begun signing letters of intent for various companies. As I look back on my college experiences and how much I’ve learned, I realize that I’d like to continue my education. I hope to study for and take my Professional Engineers (PE) Exam next year as well as enroll in a Master program.
Cal Poly offers a 4+1 “Blended” program I can apply to. I’d like to concentrate on Water Resources and Hydraulics Engineering. Growing up on the Vineyard has fostered a strong connection to nature, specifically water. I’ve found fluid mechanics and water management to be my favorite classes. Part of the “Blended” program is completing a Master’s thesis, which I would do on water conservation.
Another option is to enroll in an MBA program. My dream is to own or run a firm, and a MBA would be a good catalyst. Coming to Cal Poly it became quite apparent to me how intelligent and high achieving engineering students are. Between internships and classes I learned that I’m not nearly the smartest or best engineer, but that my strengths lie in project management, leadership, and client service/interaction. Coupling my degree with an MBA will, I think, open many employment opportunities for me.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
Junior year at Cal Poly is the most challenging, but also the most enjoyable year at school. For the past 2 years I’ve been learning all of the mathematics and physics behind engineering. This year, I get to take major classes and explore more of the civil engineering field. So far my interests lie in the water resources and geotechnical engineering fields. Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is an organization I’m heavily involved with. Currently our chapter of EWB is working on designing a water distribution system for Cuachillo, a small village in Nicaragua. These next couple quarters I’ll work with the projects team to research and design pipelines for the installation. In August, I hope to travel with some of the EWB team to Nicaragua to build and implement our design. A couple weeks ago, our department had a meeting about senior projects and graduation requirements. College has seemingly flown by. It’s remarkable how much progress we the recipients, and MVYouth as an organization have made. The impact MVYouth makes is huge, with college expenses rising, it’s becoming much harder to get a collegiate education. Thank you so much for your compassion and generosity.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
I'm greatly indebted to MVYouth, and I honestly don't know what I would do without it. The engineers at Cal Poly have a saying "Friends, grades, or sleep... choose 2". While it's a joke, there's an element of truth to it. The financial aid I've received makes college a lot less stressful and lot more enjoyable. Instead of needing a part time job, I can explore different clubs and focus on school. I'm working with the club "Engineers Without Borders". We're designing and installing a water sanitation and transportation system for a village in Nicaragua. It's a really fun experience, learning the design process and aspects of building, all of which will benefit those in need. On the weekends, there are plenty of National Parks to explore and soccer games to be played. Academically, this year is dedicated to the math and physics behind engineering. I still have absolutely no idea what an Eigenvector is (or how to cook something besides pasta), but I'm super excited to continue my college experience, made possible by MVYouth.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
First and foremost, let me thank you again for your generosity. Transitioning from 18 years in a small community to a 20,000+ college across the States has been a huge change. There’s some adjustment, but I’m meeting new people and experiencing so much. Engineering is a lot more work than I thought it would be. Cal Poly’s motto is “learn by doing”, and they focus heavily on concepts and hands on learning. Yesterday I did some engineering surveying in a cow pasture, which was a nice break from hours of calculus homework. And yes, engineers do have social lives. The week is busy: class, homework, and a little pick up soccer, but the weekends are open for trips to Yosemite, Avila Beach, and LA. All of this has been possible because of MVYouth, an organization I’m deeply grateful for and indebted to.