How do you make a difference? That’s a question that Bethany Forrester has wrestled with since she was young.

A 2013 graduate of the civil engineering program, she was attracted to engineering because of its practical ways to help people.

That’s why Forrester and Colten Harris, another engineering alumni, created a Springfield chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

After they went to Jamaica to design and implement a rainwater catchment system, they knew they wanted to continue using their skills to help.

“Engineers without Borders gives us the opportunity to use our engineering design skills to help people get access to clean water, proper sanitation and more,” Forrester said.

About the chapter

Forrester, a 2012-13 Citizen Scholar recipient, has worked for several years to create a chapter. Each chapter partners with a community for five years. In that time, the chapter designs, fundraises and implements projects.

Though this is a professional chapter, students can join. Forrester hopes students will open their own chapter in the future.

“We take for granted that we have clean water whenever we turn on the faucet or proper sanitation facilities, but most people do not even have access to these basic needs,” Forrester said. “The most exciting part of starting the chapter is that we will be able to hopefully change this for a community and change people’s lives.”