ASCE Officer Candidate Information

Officer Candidate Bios- Winter 2019

Max Barnes

Who am I? This is always the hardest question for me to answer. So, I’ll start by saying that I’m from Indiana and I graduated from high school back in 2013. I served a mission in Sweden and then came to BYU. After my first year, I went on a study abroad. We traveled around Utah and parts of Idaho visiting significant historical, biological, and geological sites. At night, we camped in the wilderness. Rafting down Cataract Canyon and seeing the sedimentation that is occurring in Lake Powell really bothered me. I wanted to figure out how to prevent it. Then we visited Red Rock Pass in Idaho where Lake Bonneville burst its natural dam. That made me want to understand how soil works. That's how I discovered that I wanted to study Civil Engineering.

A few things that I like to do in my spare time include skiing, hiking, knitting, netflix bingeing, making good food and traveling.

I’m running to be the Networking Chair (that means I’ll plan the networking dinner--what should we eat next time?) and I think you should vote for me because I’m passionate about the things I’m involved in. I’m also committed which means that the networking dinner will be useful to everyone who attends. Plus, the Networking dinner works--I made contacts that turned into an internship offer at the last one!

Positions running for:

1. Networking Chair

2. RMC Chair

Michael Copley

Michael J Copley from Calgary Canada is running for Student Liaison or Engineering and Technology Leadership Council Chair. Michael Loves to write music, write poetry, Hike, and snowboard.

After graduating with a associates degree and owning and operating his own Music Lesson/ Recording Business for half a decade Michael felt the need to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Always having fascination with tall buildings, trains, public transit, man-made wonders and what new projects are being planned in his neighboring community he stumbled on Civil engineering and has since settled into the major.

Anyone that knows Michael knows that he is a hard worker, takes studies and responsibilities seriously and is genuine. He’s organized and motivated to get the job done. Michael is someone who can connect to others. Those attributes among others make him a strong candidate for either position.

Positions Running for

1. Student Liaison

2. Engineering and Technology Leadership Council Chair

Bryce Berrett

Bryce Berrett is from Orem, UT and will begin his senior year in Civil Engineering in the Fall. Bryce is minoring in Geology and has participated multiple years in a Tsunami BYU research group where he has made dozens of Tsunami inundation maps and traveled to Indonesia to help people prepare for natural disasters. This last year he joined Dr. Franke’s UAV research group and went to Italy to study damaged locations from the 2016 Italy earthquakes. He is a licensed drone pilot and loves playing ping pong, volleyball, and reading a good fantasy (ahem… Brandon Sanderson) or leadership/self-improvement book. He loves how civil engineering helps provide the opportunity for students to get involved, work with talented professors, and serve others and the community. He feels at home among civil engineering students and wants to become an officer to help others feel the same support and friendship he experienced when he first joined.

And though Bryce may not know half of you half as well as he should like, you can be sure that he likes less than half of you half as well as you deserve. Vote for Bryce Berrett!

Positions running for:

1. Engineering and Technology Leadership Council Chair 

2. Secretary

Evan Smith

1) Hello there! I am Evan Smith. I was born and raised in Chino, CA, just east of Los Angeles. I am the youngest of 4 siblings and considered the fun uncle. Besides the thought that one day I may have a girlfriend (fingers crossed), the things that bring be joy are a good pizza, golfing, the outdoors, and anything else if my friends and family are around. The reasons I chose civil engineering is probably like yours; I played with Legos as a kid, I had an affinity math and the sciences, I was encouraged by family members that are engineers themselves, etc. The reason I stuck with civil engineering, as apposed to some other degree, is not only because I will be making a difference in people’s everyday lives building their infrastructure, but also because of the friendly nature of the people in this department, from the professors to the new freshman. 

I am honored to be considered for an ASCE position and chose to run for President of the ASCE Student Chapter as well as for the RMC chair as a second choice. I have been heavily involved with RMC over the past couple of years, especially with the Pre-Design competition and with the Concrete Canoe team. I know that a fundraising effort for a general RMC fund will help the teams get the supplies they need to be top competitors. But we can expand that vision to the whole ASCE Chapter if I become President. There are other clubs, such as AREMA, EERI, and others that have conferences they attend, and funding can be allocated to them as well. I also propose that we do a golf tournament fundraiser where we as students will be paired up with professionals so we may network with them at a place where most of the business deals happen, on the golf course. If that is too intimidating, then the second golfing fundraiser will be mini golf. Not only will these activities be fun, allowing us to engage with our fellow students and our future employers, but they will also fund the activities that enhance our learning here at BYU making the world our campus. As we work together, we can make the BYU ASCE Student Chapter great again!!

Positions running for:

1. El Presidente

2. RMC Chair

Gaby Maldonado

My name is Gabriela Virginia Maldonado Estrada (yes, I have 2 last names) and I am from the beautiful country of Guatemala. I love to dance, travel, and try new things. I have two older brothers and no sisters. I may be the youngest, but I was the first one in my family to leave the house for school. 

I may also be small, but I like to dream big  My biggest goal (and why I am in Civil Engineering) is to go back to my country and build seismic-proof houses for those that can’t afford it.

I would love to be an officer so that I can make your suggestions for ASCE actually happen. I have great persuasive skills that include charisma and a sweet smile. Don’t underestimate the skills of a short person to get things done.

(In case you are wondering, which I know many people are because they have asked me, I am 4’11.5”)

Positions running for:

1. Secretary

2. Networking Chair

Jeffrey Lebaron

I grew up in Highland Utah, so not very far from here. I am the 6th of 7 children. Ever since I was a kid I have loved designing and building things. In high school I built myself a bed and a desk. My senior I converted our barn into a chicken coop palace/greenhouse. I am always thinking about my next project. This has led me to study Civil Engineering. I started out at BYU as a Civil Engineering Major and decided to switch to Landscape Management where I was able to develop my creative abilities. But I realized it wasn’t the kind of career I wanted to have and decided to go back to Civil Engineering. I am excited to have a career where I will be passionate and excited about projects that have lasting and meaningful impacts on communities.

My wife and I were married in April of 2015 and have since added one adorable little boy to our family. Graham is just over 2 years old and is the center of our lives. I love being a dad. I have learned that life is great balancing act and that sometimes there are priorities that come before homework. I understand what it is like to be a full-time student and a part time employee and have family obligations and feel like there is no way it can all be done. But things work out. Things get done. I may not have the best grades, but that is okay. As an ASCE officer I want to be able to help students who feel like its too hard or that they can’t be good enough. I think we can all succeed, and part of that is being able to lean on and learn from each other.

Positions running for:

1. Secretary

2. Networking Chair

Alex White

I’m from Preston, Idaho.  Only good things come out of Preston, including Napoleon Dynamite, Crumbl Cookie, the prophet Ezra Taft Benson, and 3 of 5 Church of Jesus Christ World War 2 Medal of Honor recipients.  As an ASCE officer, I promise to live up to expectations set by my predecessors.  I may not have nunchuck, bow hunting, or computer hacking skills, but I am organized, fun and sociable.  I didn’t choose Civil Engineering.  Civil Engineering chose me.  I’ve changed my major three times, from Information Technology to Computer Science to the promised land of Civil Engineering.  I like to do anything that doesn’t involve textbooks.  My family goes touring on motorcycles every year.  I’m a member of the NSS (National Speleological Society) and I like to explore caves whenever I get the chance.  I love soccer, ping pong, movies, video games, shredding on my electric guitar really loud.  “Choose the Right Vote White!” (No racism intended.  This was my grandpa White’s campaign slogan as a county commissioner.)

Positions running for:

1.     Student Liaison

2.     President

Mason Putnam

Born in Henderson Nevada,  I am the 2nd of five kids. I learned to ride a two wheel bike when I was three, 5 years before I learned how to talk. I’m doing a minor in business and I want to go into construction engineering. I have a passion for relationships built on trust. I firmly believe that more time should be spent learning how to communicate our value to potential employers. I hope to do this as an ASCE student Liaison. I’ve started a snow shoveling business on the side because I like to wake up at 3 a.m. and to help put myself through school--mostly for the 3 a.m. though. I love to read and I love to mountain bike!

Positions Running for:

1. Student Liaison

2. ETLC Chair