Name:
Betsy Kirtland
How long have you been an ambassador?
Since... 2015? First class of ambassadors :)
What organization(s) have you been proud to sponsor?
Fleur de Lis Circle Week, and the Mystic Learning Center
Thoughts you have on your advocacy and the organization(s).
It has been such a privilege to be able to advocate on behalf of the Mystic Learning Center and Fleur de Lis Circle Week over the years. Volunteering with them will always be fun and rewarding on an individual level, but being able to bring in money to these often underfunded programs, and seeing those funds put to use and have real impacts on the kids is really awesome. The MLC and Circle both serve kids in need - the MLC provides after school programming for kids from economically underprivileged families, and Circle is a free, week-long camp for girls who have lost a parent. The AFF funds that both programs have received have gone towards food for the kids, bus transportation for field trips, equipment for fun activities, and so much more. There's something really special about watching as a kid's eyes widen while they try out a science experiment, or hearing them laugh while they play a fun game for the first time, and it makes me proud to know that I, through the AFF, made it happen.
If you are in a profession or field of work, what background/present employment status would you like to share?
I got my Masters Degree from Tufts in 2017, and now I am a Structural Engineer at Stantec working in Boston. I've always been fascinated by bridges, and now I get to design and help construct them! I'm literally living my childhood dream. I also am a lecturer at Tufts, where I teach a class called Bridges for Resilient Cities, which touches on structural engineering as well as the importance of designing our infrastructure to be resilient.
Anything you'd like to share about your personal life? Fun thing or things you still do, in spite of the pandemic?
Unfortunately, I don't have anything interesting to share... but I hope to get a dog in the next few months!
Betsy was previously featured on our blog here and here!