Marline Daceus
Marline Daceus remembers being just six years old when she caught the desire to become an engineer. Daceus said, "I know that's a little different from most people. But I always liked to look at homes and noticed that they were all different, even when I was very young. I used to always tell my parents that I wanted to build one myself."
"As a young girl, I also remember going on a trip with my parents and riding over this bridge... the bridge was so fascinating I couldn't get it off my mind so I went back to school and asked my teacher who builds bridges? She said civil engineers do. So right then and there I said I wanted to be an engineer and ever since that has been my path. I also loved math and science in school, so that further reinforced my decision to be an engineer."
Why the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering? "I did not know about the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering when I was applying to colleges as a high school student," remarked Daceus. "But two of my cousins are FAMU alumni and they pushed me to apply. They told me I had to become a Rattler. Of course I applied to GA Tech and MIT and other tech universities as well. These are the places I wanted to go to for engineering, because everyone wants to go to a tech school. Then they took me to Tallahassee; to ‘The Hill'. They brought me to the Engineering Building and I applied, got in and received a scholarship. There I was, on my way to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering."
Daceus is finishing research in an environmental area and worked with Dr. Eric Kalu on treating water contaminated from oil by-products. Daceus also enjoyed the science of structures saying, "I loved trying to figure out the load path of a building and learned how the beams react under certain loads."
Daceus was very active in extra curricular activities from the beginning of her time in College. She participated in student government her freshman and sophomore years, was a RA resident assistant for three years and served on the University gospel choir. When it became difficult to keep up her dual major studies, she decided to focus her time with the student organizations of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Engineers Without Borders (EWB). "I think being involved in different group organizations definitely helped me because it gives you networking opportunities," said Daceus. "For example, while I may not be good in graphics, somebody I just met may be. Or I may not be so good with advertising and I might know a business major who knows all about that. When you know people from other organizations it broadens your horizons and it's a little bit of a break too from engineering. You don't want to spend all your time on one thing. It's also good on your resume because it shows you are well rounded. I've gained a lot from being involved elsewhere. Especially from student government, which gave me a lot of organizational skills."
Daceus remembers an opportunity to sit down with then Dean, Dr. C.J. Chen. She remarks, "While I was involved with the Engineering Student Executive Council in 2008, I was able to sit down with our Dean to talk about changing our building access cards. FAMU engineering students were using a generic FSU swipe card with ‘guest' on it. After talking to Dean Chen and telling him we need to change this to make students feels that this is their home, this is their College and that whether we are a FAMU or FSU student, we should feel we all belong here. It worked. The Dean agreed with us and we now have a new blue access card that says FAMU-FSU College of Engineering on it. I was happy to be helpful with that."
"My greatest challenge as an engineering student has been to keep up with school while being separated from my family," says Daceus. "I am originally from Haiti and moved to Orlando to start high school. My immediate family stayed in Haiti and I don't get to see them very often. I have not seen my mother for several years so she doesn't get to be a part of my everyday life. However, I do get to call her let her know what I am doing. She is excited that I am pursuing my dreams but it is difficult for her not to be able to be involved as much as she would like to be. That was a big challenge for me. But I made it and she is very proud of me, so the hardship was worth it."
Daceus has always wanted to study abroad. She hopes she will get the chance in graduate school. "I would love to go to Ethiopia or Kenya and possibly to Spain," Daceus enthuses. "I'm trying to get things going so that I am able to do that. But any one of those places would be a great place to study."
Daceus' favorite area of study or research is in the area of structures. She is looking to pursue research in green structures and to invest her time in the construction of buildings and bridges that are more environmentally friendly.
Daceus reflects, "In five years I see my self with a PhD. I see myself working, married and being effective in a community too. It's one thing to go to work and go back home but I want to make a difference. I would not have made it if not for the people who supported me or the people who invested their time in coordinating extra curricular activities for students like me."
She continued, "I was able to participate in the Southeastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering (SECME) organization in high school and I traveled to universities for bridge and robotic competitions. These kinds of activities supported my dreams and gave me the encouragement I needed to pursue an engineering degree. I knew I wanted to be an engineer but it was the people around me who supported that idea and kept me on the right path that are the reason I am here today, getting ready to graduate. I want to do the same for other students, especially students interested in science. We see a decline in enrollment in engineering majors everywhere. Perhaps students think it's too hard and they can't make it. But it's not and it doesn't have to be hard. You can make it fun, as I made it fun. I'm not going to lie. I had to stay up quite a few late nights studying and it was stressful. But it wasn't negative stress, because at the end of the day I knew I wanted to be an engineer, so it was all part of the journey.
"FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has a great program in civil and environmental engineering." Daceus says, "The people in my department," she said, "were very helpful. You know you can't go unnoticed when even your department chair knows you by name. My professors were always reminding us to stay on top of things. So I enjoyed being here because I did not feel like a number. I felt like I was part of everything going on at the College. So if you intend to go to engineering school," Daceus advises, "consider FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, because it has great programs, and the professors care about their students."
