For much of his childhood, Constantine Moshi thought he wanted to be a doctor like his father. “I was amazed how they could save people’s lives – even those with the worst health conditions,” he said. Then when he was 12-years-old, the native-Tanzanian learned that doctors weren’t the only ones who could save lives.

“I was in a terrible car accident,” he said. “It was during the rainy season. Our car slipped, overturned, and got stuck on the furrow beside the road.” If not for the furrow, the car would have plummeted into an adjacent ravine.

“That was the day when civil engineering became a part of my vocabulary,” he said.

Constantine Moshi (far right) brought MSOE and USDA students together on a dam project in Tanzania.
Constantine Moshi (far right) brought students from MSOE and Dar es Salaam University together on a dam project in Tanzania.

Thinking about that road – one of the most heavily trafficked in the area – Moshi decided he wanted to improve infrastructure in his community and in developing countries around the world as a civil engineer.

“I was introduced to MSOE when I was in primary school,” he said. “I was impressed and attracted to MSOE for the nature and culture of the school, as well as the professional organizations students could be a part of.”

As a freshman, Moshi joined Engineers Without Borders and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He has since held leadership roles in both chapters – serving as vice president and president of EWB, as well as planning monitoring evaluation and learning (PMEL) lead. He served as an outreach coordinator for ASCE and participated in regional competitions from 2013-15.

Moshi was also on MSOE’s student team in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) competitions, which took first place in the health care division in 2016, and second place in the pre-construction open problems division in 2017. He is an active member of Tau Beta Pi, national engineering honor society, and in a number of servant-leadership projects.

Moshi said his motivation and inspiration come from his faith and his family. “I was raised to always be glad to share my talents with others; especially those who face difficulties in life,” he said. “I learned to be respectful and willing to listen to others.”

Internships during his time at MSOE have taken him to various locations. In the summer of 2015 he interned with M.A. Mortenson in Colorado; in 2016 with McCarthy Building Companies in Omaha; and in 2017 with Whiting Turner in Las Vegas. During the school year he works as an undergraduate research assistant for MSOE’s Rapid Prototyping Center and tutors students in the Raider Center for Academic Success.

“My ultimate goal is to establish an international construction company that will motivate and encourage young professionals – especially in developing countries – to pursue advanced degrees and consider careers in civil engineering,” he said.