Sidhika Srinivasan is a second year Civil Engineering student and one of our newest project consultants for 2020. We at 180DC are always looking for passionate young individuals from all educational backgrounds to join our team. Now, Sidhika is here to reveal her motivations for joining 180DC as an engineering student, and the ways she's been creating positive social impact.
1. What drew you to become a project consultant with 180DC?
During my first year at UNSW, I had heard many times that 180DC is a very worthwhile society to be a part of. At first, I was quite sceptical as I’d never heard of the word consulting and had no idea what it was about. After looking more into it, I learnt that 180DC enables students to interact with clients and provide them with solutions to inspire social change. My long-term interest in humanitarian feats and my desire to have a positive impact on society aligned closely with the work done by 180DC. I knew that by being a part of 180DC, I could gain professional experience and improve my skills all while seeing the real implications of my work.
2. In what ways do you intend to incorporate your engineering knowledge to add value to your project this cycle?
From a young age, I have always been interested in humanitarian engineering and applying my knowledge for the greater good. As an engineering student, I have volunteered with several not-for-profit organisations to increase engagement in STEM within the marginalised student population (females or low-SES backgrounds). Being appropriately partnered with an educational organisation (CEF) in this project cycle, I hope to provide out-of-the-box solutions which benefit not only the organisation but also the students and help them to reach their full potential.
3. What are you looking forward to most this project cycle?
It is easy to see that my team are extremely capable and passionate about our project. I am most eager to see the positive impact of our solution in the months following the final proposal. The team at CEF are extremely passionate about what they do, and I hope that our consultancy work will allow them to transform more lives and provide long-standing assistance to students.
4. What do you like to do in your spare time when you’re not busy with your studies or working on your project?
I am currently working on building up an educational start-up, whose main aim is to provide more experience to secondary school students. Alongside this, I am a part of organisations such as Engineers Without Borders and Robogals, both of which allow me to inspire humanitarian change and education. Aside from the hard work, I really like playing sports, painting, watching movies and spending time with friends!