Basic Information

• Name: Cassandra Nguyen, she/her (LinkedIn)
• Ambassador Cohort: 2025-2026 (pilot)
• Campus: University of California, Irvine
• Major: Environmental Engineering
• Year: Senior
• Fun Fact: Cassandra know 105 digits of pi!

Table of Contents

Student Ambassador Program Project Information

Project Description

The goal of my final project was to revise the UCI Environmental Changemakers Certificate (ECC) to expand its scope and impact on UCI students. The ECC is an interdisciplinary course-based certification issued in coordination with the UCI School of Physical Sciences, School of Social Ecology, and School of Engineering. To receive the ECC, students must take at least four sustainability-related courses across all three Schools to demonstrate understanding of environmental concepts and issues. My project teammate, Aman Rampure (UC Irvine), and I aimed to do the following: 1) update the course list that can be applied to the ECC, 2) expand the scope of the ECC and increase its impact through requiring a deliverable to obtain the ECC, 3) update the ECC application form, 4) update the websites for each School to display accurate and updated information regarding the ECC, and 5) create a physical certificate or equivalent to indicate completion of the ECC.

Project Purpose and Influences

Aman and I are both Environmental Engineering undergraduates at UCI who not only share a passion for sustainability, but also wish to increase accessibility to sustainability resources on campus. We both knew about the ECC and admired it for providing a vessel for students to learn more about sustainability-related fields. However, we recognized it could be improved, and as students who could benefit from the ECC, we recognize we have the power to influence its impact.

Key Assets/Resources

• Persuasive Communications Workshop (EOP Student Ambassador Program): Provided training to pitch ideas effectively and efficiently, especially when working with faculty and people of high leadership positions.
• EOP Strategic Doing Activity: provided training on goal-setting and project execution.
• Professor Diego Rosso: UCI Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor and Director that develops Civil and Environmental Engineering curriculum, course requirements, and student academics at UCI.
• Christy King: UCI Civil and Environmental Engineering Counselor who provided resources regarding the ECC.
• Don Williams: UCI School of Physical Sciences Director of Undergraduate Student Affairs; has direct jurisdiction within the ECC program.
• Bryan Bowerman: UCI Henry Samueli School of Engineering Director of Undergraduate Student Affairs; has direct jurisdiction within the ECC program.

Pivotal Moments

• Creating our formal proposition for ECC amendments we wish to implement and how we wish to execute them
• Conversing with Professor Diego Rosso, a key stakeholder in UCI Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) curriculum and programs, and learning how CEE curriculum and programs are developed
• Attempting to apply for an EOP Grant