About Paulina
With a new semester beginning, Xi chapter has welcomed a new regent to lead our fraternity - Paulina Castaneda. Paulina is a senior pursuing a degree in environmental engineering, and rushed Theta Tau in Spring 2024. She chose to study environmental engineering after an E. coli outbreak in her hometown led to office and school closures affecting her community, sparking her curiosity in water security and resource protection, key facets of environmental engineering. UW Madison stood out to Paulina because of her desire for “...a big school that had lots of opportunities in research, academics, and engineering.” She also noted that Madison’s campus provided her with equally abundant access to nature reserves as well as city amenities, uncommon for large schools. Paulina has had a considerable amount of industry experience throughout her years at Madison, working as a researcher in the McMahon Civil and Environmental lab since her freshman year. She also interned for Kimley-Horn, a consulting firm in Chicago between her sophomore and junior year. In addition, her last summer was spent as a Supply Chain Engineering Intern at Pepsico on resource management in a plant setting. Paulina also gained experience abroad, where she studied at the University of Limerick in Ireland, where she “...solidified [her] interest in the intersection of manufacturing, resource management, and sustainability.”
Why Theta Tau
Theta Tau appealed to Paulina because of the positive experiences her classmates and friends described to her. At EBash, she met recruiters who shared their passion for the fraternity. What really solidified her decision to rush was the information sessions, Paulina shared that she “... really clicked with a couple members, and they made [her] feel very seen and heard.”
Past Experiences & Why Regent
In addition to her significant interning experience, Paulina was also an Engineering Ambassador for the College of Engineering, where she represented and advocated for student experiences during alumni and college events. Paulina also externed as a consultant at PwC, where she gained exposure to large-scale projects and stated that she developed a strong interest in how major companies operate and create impact. Paulina explained she wanted to become regent because she “...believes it is the best position to create meaningful change, and leave the organization better. I want to continue building us up. With UW Engineering comprising only about 10% students of color, I want to be an advocate for diversity and equity within engineering spaces. Through this role, I hope to implement initiatives that amplify the voices of our brothers and help strengthen and unify our community.” In addition, her past fraternal roles provided inspiration to run for regent. Paulina served as Professional Development Chair this fall semester, and was extremely involved in Theta Tau’s sponsorship program, securing 3 corporate sponsors. She also worked closely with the regent and vice regent to learn about day-to-day operations. When asked how the two roles would be similar, she explained that “...as PD chair, people would come to [her] for guidance and support, and being regent would allow [her] to continue the same thing.” Paulina stated that being a part of one of the 3 pillars as professional development gave her an increased sense of importance of how the pillars are central to Theta Tau. As regent, one of her main goals is to make sure that all of the chair positions are prepared for everything coming in this new semester.
Future Plans
This year, after graduation, Paulina will be working at Procter and Gamble as a Process Engineer in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She explained her new role is heavily involved in manufacturing and would involve taking charge of specific operating machines and functions in order to minimize water and energy use, ensuring efficiency. Theta Tau Xi Chapter wishes her the best of luck in this new role! Over her years in the fraternity, Paulina explained that she has seen “...many great role models and mentors become regents…” and hopes to build the fraternity up in the same way that they did. There is no doubt that she will live up to these high standards this semester as our new regent.
