As excited as she is to become the first member of her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, Alysha Jarvis won’t participate in commencement. Instead, she’s headed to the Dominican Republic to conduct water quality testing on an Alternative Service Break (ASB).

Jarvis had never traveled outside the country before becoming a Goodnight Transfer Scholar. Her time at NC State has included ASB trips to Peru (twice) and Rwanda, as well as study abroad in Ireland and Goodnight Scholars trips to Paris and London (with Washington, D.C., thrown in for good measure).

“I’ve taken advantage of every opportunity,” she said.

The 30-year-old Jarvis grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, earning an associate’s degree in arts management before entering the workforce and later moving to the North Carolina mountains. She pursued a CAD certificate at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, where an interest in architecture quickly became a more math-oriented drive toward furthering her education in civil engineering.

The opportunity to become a Goodnight Transfer Scholar not only brought her to NC State but provided her with a supportive, empowering community. As her passion for service grew, she also reconnected with a road not taken.

People had often told a younger Jarvis she should be a teacher. Faculty members including Laura Bottomley made a deep impression.

“I realized I loved interacting with students, and I want to give back that way,” Jarvis said.

She hopes to earn her professional engineering license and work in transportation planning – while perhaps teaching a night class or two at a community college. For now, she will remain here, pursuing her master’s in engineering education.

“This is the most diverse place, with all the people from all over, pursuing all kinds of interests,” Jarvis said. “It’s a really inspiring place to be.”

Major: Civil engineering
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
Advice for new NC State students: “Read your emails! It sounds so simple, but there are so many great opportunities to go places, experience things and make connections. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me how I knew about something and my response is, ‘Uh, there was an email.’”

This excerpted post was originally published in NC State News.