Talia Livneh, an engineering and public policy major at Carnegie Mellon, has always prided herself in her independence and optimism. As a child, she was on a dance team for several years, serving as a captain. She was also a camp counselor. “My parents never pressured me to be anything or do anything so I had to decide on my own what I was passionate about,” Talia says. It was her inner strength that led her to discover her true passion: helping people.
“I am passionate about empowering people to work together and understand each other. I think we all have a lot to learn from different people and there are so many awesome and cool ways to do this,” Talia says. She clearly channels this enthusiasm towards her extracurriculars. As the Panhellenic President, Talia assumes responsibility for the operation of the Panhellenic community and helps the sororities to coexist.
Her desire to empower people to work together not only applies within the Greek community; Talia is also involved with the Society of Women Engineers and, most recently, helped plan the Technical Opportunities Conference. “I wanted to be an engineer because I always was drawn to the analytical thinking required for math and sciences. However, I like that engineering is used to help communities develop and improve.”
As a female engineer, Talia has not felt any adversity and enjoys the field. The rigorous curriculum at CMU has taught her to have faith in her ability to accomplish great things and, most of all, to remain optimistic and positive in many situations. “I think I have learned when things are serious and when to just let things go,” she says.
Talia provides a great example of something we should all strive to be: independent, well-rounded, optimistic, but, most of all, passionate about helping others.