Areli Guadalupe Cardenas Arteaga

Hometown: Imlay City, Michigan 

CLS Affiliation: CLS Minor Student

Current Status: Undergraduate Student

Graduation Year: May 2022

Major: Civil Engineering 

Double Minor: Chicano/Latino Studies and Spanish

Celebrating Areli:  

Areli has broad and active leadership experience in extracurricular activities. She is currently the treasurer for the Delta Tau Lambda Sorority, Inc. Eta Chapter and for the  MSU Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Last year, she was MSU SHPE's chapter president. Throughout her time at MSU, Areli has also held other leadership positions such as risk manager, funding co-chair, student representative, and public relations. Thanks to her internships with the Michigan Department of Transportation and DTE Energy, she has been able to grow her knowledge of and experience in the transportation and energy industries. 

What advice/tips/consejos would you give students in terms of navigating school? 

My advice to students who are navigating school and are finding themselves lost is not to give up and to ask for help. Do not feel afraid to admit that you do not know how to do certain things. Keep pushing forward, find your support system, and join a student organization that fits your interest(s). All these things will help you find knowledgeable people in areas you might be struggling in.

What are your professional/career aspirations?

I would like to become a leader in the transportation industry with a focus in structures. I have always been very passionate about bridges, so I aspire to be part of a team that builds, designs, and/or maintains bridges. 

What (or who) inspires you? 

As a Latina Civil Engineer, I have concluded that being a Latina in engineering means a lot of responsibility. The responsibility of making changes to expand our horizons is what inspires me. We are responsible for opening doors for ourselves and accountable for improving our academic and professional environment. To that, add the responsibility of setting an example for other young women at the same time that we enjoy as much as we can the Beatty of STEM, especially engineering. Since I started my college degree at Michigan State University, the number of Latinas in my program has been tiny—now, that number has decreased. In many of my class groups, I am the only woman, and other times, the only woman of color. At one point, I stopped paying attention to who was sitting next to me but now remind myself to acknowledge who is next to me at all times. Is it a woman? Is it a woman of color? Is it a Latina? If the answer is no, I get inspired to support and encourage women to become engineers. Being a Latina in engineering is a lot of responsibility, but it comes with immense gratification. And that is something that no one can take away from us.

To learn more about Areli, visit her LinedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arelicardenas/