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Student Board of Visitors Representative Stephen Greiling wants to give back

by Cecilia Ramirez

Stephen Greiling has a lot to be proud of. The Chesapeake, Virginia native received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering with a GPA of 3.87, earning him distinct academic recognition. Greiling is an active member of the university community. He is the recipient of several other academic honors such as the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Dean's List, Theodore F. Constance C. Constant Dominion Scholarship, Honors College and Order of Omega.

A student leader, Greiling serves as a student representative on the Old Dominion 91¶ÌÊÓƵ Board of Visitors and is also a member of the ODU Homecoming Royal Monarch and National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the recipient of the REP ODU Unsung Hero and Evon-Broderick awards.

Greiling graduated from Grassfield High School in Chesapeake where he was a recipient of the Medal of Distinction in the Governor's STEM Academy. It was there he was introduced to engineering and architecture, engineering design and aerospace and experienced civil engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.

"While both my parents are from the educational field, my introduction to engineering began when my two brothers got me involved in First Lego Leagues (FLL)," said Greiling. "Later I became interested in architecture and building designs.

"When I decided to pursue my education at ODU in 2016, I initially was looking for an architecture academic but I switched to civil engineering. During my freshman year, I was involved in the engineering learning community that provided me the opportunity to explore engineering and English composition simultaneously."

Randy Haddock and Kim Sibson, two of Greiling's first-year teachers, supported him in his pursuit of engineering and encouraged him to become involved on campus in a leadership role. He joined the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and the Student Government Association in his first semester.

"My role as the student representative on the Board of Visitors was a great networking opportunity and afforded me to meet important stakeholders like state legislators, CEOs, and other community leaders," he said. " Being involved on campus grew my interest in higher education. I became interested in teaching or working with engineering students as a career. Kim Sibson became a mentor for me as I considered this career option and I could not ask for a better person to support me."

Having a leadership role in the university community enabled Greiling to engage with and help his fellow students transition to college. He says the reason he chose ODU over other academic institutions was that he believes the College takes an active role genuinely, most especially in student engagement, student success and access to quality education.

Last year, Greiling completed an internship at the Norfolk Naval Base in the Lifecycle Engineering, performing structural inspections on navy ships.

In the last four years, Greiling has been exposed to many learning opportunities by becoming an engineering ambassador and conducting undergraduate research in coastal water management and water quality analysis in the watershed in Western Branch in Chesapeake. Greiling was accepted into the accelerated master's program in Environmental Engineering.