NJIT Grad Larissa Cavalcante Engineers Impact Beyond Infrastructure — She Is Building Pathways

When Larissa Cavalcante walked across the stage to receive her civil engineering degree from NJIT, she didn’t just celebrate personal achievement. She sent a message to the next generation of girls who dream big but might not yet see themselves in the picture: You can do this and more.

A first-generation college student and daughter of Brazilian immigrants, Cavalcante grew up in Woodbridge, New Jersey, where she found early joy in math and science and imagined futures as bold as becoming an astronaut. But it wasn’t until a high school engineering class that she first saw a version of STEM she could inhabit.

“I always looked up to people like Walt Disney and Katherine Johnson,” she says. “People who used creativity and science and broke societal standards to make a public impact. That’s why I chose civil engineering — it’s broad, and everything you do directly impacts people.”

That desire to help — and lead — has defined her time at NJIT. Though she entered cautiously as a freshman, by sophomore year she had joined the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), served as its marketing director and began a steady rise into roles where she could shape both student life and engineering culture.

By her junior year, Cavalcante had become vice president of administration for the Student Senate and president of NJIT’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). She didn’t just hold those titles — she leveraged them. Her crowning achievement came this year when she organized venues, logistics and fundraising as chair of ASCE Metropolitan Student Symposium. The symposium brought hundreds of engineering students together to compete in six different engineering-based competitions: Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe, Construction Institute, 3D Printed Bridge, Surveying and the MEAD paper presentations. 

That’s why I chose civil engineering — it’s broad, and everything you do directly impacts people.

“It wasn’t engineering in the traditional sense,” she explains. “It was managing people, money and movement. We started from scratch — created a sponsorship packet, reached out to over 40 companies, and raised more than $40,000.”

The funds paid for everything from catering to lifeboats. But more than the event’s success, what stands out to Cavalcante is what the work represented: a young student leading a major regional effort in a field where women remain a minority.

Still, she never let that fact define her.

“There’s a 70/30 split here between men and women,” she says. “But I never let that affect how I saw myself. Your talent will shine no matter what you look like or where you come from. That’s what I carry with me.”

Cavalcante credits much of her confidence and direction to mentors. Stephen George, her advisor since freshman year, was a steady guide. Professor Andrew Ciancia opened doors to scholarship opportunities, and NJIT alumni like Kathryn Gibbs, whom she met through a campus connection, opened a door to her internship at Merck last summer. 

This summer, she’ll join Jacobs Solutions as a wastewater solutions engineer — work that combines technical design and project management with the potential for humanitarian impact.

When communities are hurting, engineers are the ones who can bring back clean water, functioning systems — hope.

Cavalcante’s story isn’t just one of academic success — it’s one of intentional representation. She’s acutely aware that visibility matters, especially to girls from underrepresented backgrounds who may hesitate to imagine themselves in engineering.

“When I was a little girl, I needed to see someone who looked like me doing this,” she says. “Now, I try to be the person I would have looked up to.”

She shares that message often during high school tours of NJIT. And while her resume speaks for itself — packed with leadership roles, academic honors and industry internships — it’s her philosophy that leaves a lasting impression.

“Be someone you’d want to look up to,” she tells students. “If you have a passion for helping people and love STEM, then engineering is for you.”

As she reflects on her college journey, her hope is clear: that her success doesn't simply spotlight her, but illuminates the path for others.

“You can do whatever you put your mind to,” she says. “No matter where you're from, no matter what you look like. Let this be proof that you belong.”