丹尼尔·威尔逊

2024年12月16日

麦迪逊·达曼喜欢帮助别人。

从照顾她的祖母，到教人们如何游泳，帮助残疾人骑治疗马，以及为加州交通局进行交通基础设施研究，达曼把她的时间和精力都花在了确保她周围的人茁壮成长上。

她也在茁壮成长。 达曼是大约3100名博彩平台毕业生之一，他们有资格在12月14日的冬季毕业典礼上走上舞台。 The 23-year-old first-generation college student earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

The ceremonies, held downtown at Golden 1 Center, were part of 囊状态’s first Winter 毕业典礼 since 2017. The daylong event also included a “Graduation Rewind” celebration for 2020 and 2021 graduates whose ceremonies were canceled during the pandemic.

Damman’s natural inclination to help others revealed itself from an early age, when as a child she helped her father with household tasks. 这份工作教会了她挑战自我，走出自己的舒适区。

“It kind of triggered this thing in my brain where now I push myself and I'm able to do it,” she said. “I keep pushing myself. 强迫自己证明我能做到。 即使来到萨克州立大学，并以土木工程学士学位毕业，我也鞭策自己，想看看我是否能做到。 And I did it.”

达曼一直是一名很优秀的学生，他在高中时就参加了大学课程，并提前毕业。 在转到博彩平台之前，她就读于社区大学。

“I've been interested in civil engineering for a very long time,” she said. “My high school really got me educated on the topic and inspired me to become a civil engineer.”

Damman’s time at 囊状态 helped her along that path, providing real-world experience. She was among several of Civil Engineering Professor Ghazan Khan’s students who worked with Caltrans on various projects. 达曼研究了建筑区域的安全改进和车牌读取技术，这些技术可以帮助公司改善半卡车经常出没的道路状况。

Her time working with Caltrans was yet another place where Damman’s desire to help others came to light.

“One thing that has consistently stood out for me about Madison is the number of her peers who have mentioned her to me multiple times as someone who has offered them support, help, advice and guidance throughout their academic journey,” Khan said. “Her passion and commitment not just to excel as a student, a future civil engineer, but as a leader amongst her peers and as a productive member of the community has been exemplary.”

达曼说，她成功的一个关键是她参与了俱乐部和组织，这帮助她在一个通常由男性主导的领域结识了朋友，建立了网络，并与女性建立了联系。 她参与过的团体包括Stem领域的女性、美国土木工程师协会（American Society of Civil Engineers）和混凝土独木舟俱乐部（Concrete Canoe Club）。在这个俱乐部里，学生们精心挑选水泥混合物，设计和建造独木舟，希望它们能漂浮起来。

“One thing that has consistently stood out for me about Madison is the number of her peers who have mentioned her to me multiple times as someone who has offered them support, help, advice and guidance throughout their academic journey. Her passion and commitment not just to excel as a student, a future civil engineer, but as a leader amongst her peers and as a productive member of the community has been exemplary.” ——土木工程教授合赞汗

Her academic and professional life aren’t the only places where her passion for helping others shines. 她和父母住在瓦卡维尔市，作为一名救生员，她回馈了社区，为儿童、成人和老年人提供游泳课程。 她还花时间在实习期间为该市做交通研究，撰写手册，以便未来的实习生更容易理解这些任务。 她也回馈家庭，照顾住在克利尔湖橡树的祖母。

她对骑马的热情也不例外。 高中时，她在一个治疗骑马学院做志愿者，帮助身体和智力有残疾的儿童和成人骑马接受治疗。

达曼说，她喜欢帮助别人，因为这给她带来了很多满足感，她坚信，你希望别人怎样对待你，你就应该怎样对待别人。

“I do absolutely find value in helping others,” she said. “Not only does it help them, but it helps me. It makes me feel like I'm a good person, and it really teaches you a lot of empathy.”

毕业后，达曼将加入北加州一家土木工程公司，从事土地开发项目，为加州人提供更多住房。

Beyond that, she plans to obtain further licensing in civil engineering, follow a childhood dream of becoming a pilot and possibly return to 囊状态 for a master’s program.

Damman, who is proud to graduate debt free with the help of financial aid and scholarships, said her education wouldn’t have been possible without strong support from her family and the University.

“I am very grateful that I have support from my parents,” Damman said. “They have been immense help for me throughout this whole thing and I would not be able to get the education that I have now if I didn't have that support from my parents and my grandparents.”