About

Kush Vashee, PE, CAPM, ENV SP, M.ASCE

Let's start at the beginning, I grew up in a small town in Zambia, a country in sub saharan Africa. Growing up in Zambia provided me with a very unique perspective that only one who lives in a developing country can relate to. Certain basic ammenties such as electricity were not a given in Zambia, where only 25% of the country has access to electricity and only 14% of power is supplied to the national power grid. Due to this power deficit, we regularly had power cuts due to load management efforts to stabilize the power demand. This would often lead to completing assignments and studying under candle light and required unique problem solving skills to get things done. My parents placed an emphasis on education and taught me to value it as the highest priority. Growing up my family owned and operated a dairy farm and I witnessed first hand how hard my parents worked as well as the difficulties they faced to ensure I was able to get a college education. Those experiences as well as my upbringing shaped my core values and the person I am today.

From a young age, I had an insatiable desire to learn how things worked by dismantling them and trying to put them back together. That was fueled by my curiosity. I have carried that same level of curiosity throughout my life. That, coupled with an aptitude for STEM subjects, naturally made engineering an obvious choice. as my major when applying to colleges.. In 2012, I left home at 17 years old and traveled to across the Atlantic to America to futher my education at Virginia Tech. I chose VT becuase of their reputable engineering program (#29 Overall & #9 in Civil Engineering) and because Blacksburg, VA was a smooth tranisition from the somewhat similar town I grew up in. Like many, I naively thought all civil engineers were structural engineers, but in college I was introduced to the many different fields of civil engineering. I was drawn to Transportation Engineering because I grew up in a country with ageing and failing infrastructure. Roads in particular. were the epitome of that issue; portions of the population walk several kilometers
to get to their villages from the city. Further, very few individuals have access to means of public transportation due to a lack of roads and the ones in place were deteriorating. For years I watched the road that leads to my family home in Zambia gradually turn from asphalt to dirt. Experiencing these inequities first-hand inspired me to pursue a career path where I have the opportunity to my community, by providing and maintaining safe infrastructure, all while connecting people to the resources they need through roads.

Now, I currently work as a Sr. Project Engineer at Rummel, Klepper & Kahl in the Highway Division. RK&K is a multi-disciplinary firm that provides solutions to small, large, and complex problems through collaborative teamwork, professional excellence and unsurpassed quality. The firm will soon be approching it's centenial year in 2023. In my role I am able to contribute to the communities I live and work in, by helping protect the public health and safety.

In my free time, I volunteer with a number of organizations such as ASCE and ASHE. These organizations have really allowed me to give back to the my community and future generations; as well as network with like-minded individual to expand my knowledge through discussion and collaboration. In addition to make new friends, these organization have also enabled me to take on leadership roles and develop my time mangement and public speaking skills.

MY CORE VALUES

INTEGRITY

I believe in taking accountability and I have strong morals that compel me to do what's right, no matter who is watching.

HUMILITY

I choose to put others first and seek to build others up rather than myself. Cognizant that I got where I am because of the work of others as much as my own.

LEARNING

Listening and understanding other peoples perspectives is something I value highly. Treat learning as a life long journey, it never ends.

JUSTICE

I stand for people without safe infrastructure, and people whose lives have already been impacted by poor policy and leadership.