June 2018 – President’s Message
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – JUNE 2018 NEWSLETTER
President’s Message
by Sarah Stephenson, P.E., M. ASCE, Fresno Branch President
Greetings from the Fresno! It has been an honor to serve as the President of the Fresno Branch for the last eight months and work with a great group of professionals that make up the rest of the Board members. In retrospect, I can’t help to think back to when I started on this Board six years ago as Treasurer. I was eight years into my career, relatively newly licensed and still shy and unsure of myself in professional social settings. If it wasn’t for my supervisor asking me to serve on the Board I would have never volunteered. As I advanced up the Board’s chain-of-command performing my role’s duties, attending luncheons, and other social and learning events (the Multi-Region Leadership Conference and President/Governor’s Forum being highlights), I gained more confidence in myself while acquiring leadership skills and a sense of belonging. Being a part of the ASCE “family” continues to give me the opportunities to adventure outside my safety net, develop relationships with colleagues, be a part of a team, and face my fears. In addition, participating on the committee that organizes the Annual Awards Banquet, I realized that the engineering community in Fresno has outstanding members who make positive impacts in our community.
So when someone asks me what do you get out of being a part of ASCE, I can tell them. ASCE provides comradery, a team of mentors, personal growth, leadership skills, and pride in the profession. As I’m proud to be a part of this profession and the community ASCE promotes.