Meet the Student Team
From left to right: Michael Enko, Zachary Demers, Charles Plummer, Molly Lellman, Veronica Rivero, Anneline Plaatjies (field officer), Jason Whitehouse, Alison Brasser, Chiana Montesi, Sarah Antolick, and Gaetana D’Alesio-Spina
The student working team consists of ten members from two research groups, a social development group and an infrastructure group. Shortly after arriving on site, the two research groups dissolved into a single group whose project title became Community Mobilisation Through Reblocking in Flamingo Crescent.
You can contact us by emailing our alias ct13flamingo@wpi.edu (expires June 2015)
You can also contact the Cape Town Project Centre by emailing ctpc@wpi.edu
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Sarah Antolick
Sarah Antolick grew up in a small town on Martha’s Vineyard. She is currently a junior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute pursuing a major in Civil Engineering, concentrating in structural design and urban planning. At school, Sarah is the Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers, and Director of Events for Alpha Phi Iota Omicron Chapter, as well as being a member of Student Alumni Society, Admissions Ambassadors, the American Society of Civil Engineers Steel Bridge Team and has a radio show with the WWPI Radio Club. Sarah spends most of her free time with her family, friends, and sisters. She also enjoys reading, creative writing, playing piano or spending time outdoors, running, hiking or just going to the beach.
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Alison Brasser
Alison is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is originally from Geneseo in upstate New York. On campus, Alison is the business director of The Technichords, WPI’s no fella a capella, and is social chair of WPI’s women’s chorus Alden Voices. She is also involved in Vox musical theatre, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and works in the Chemical Stockroom. Outside of school, Alison enjoys going to shows, reading, skiing and snowboarding, and anything to do with music or musicals.
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Gaetana D’Alesio-Spina
Gaetana is a junior at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from Mendon, Massachusetts. She is studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Material Science and Engineering as well as Business. Sheis a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and vice president of the WPI chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Outside of school she is an avid equestrian, competing internationally with two gold medals from the United States Team Morgan team.
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Zachary Demers
After having moved around with the Air Force, there’s no one place that Zach considers himself to be from, although the New England area is really home. He was homeschooled all the way through high school and decided to go into Aerospace Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he is now in his third year of study also working towards a minor in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Outside of class, he is part of the leadership team for the Christian Bible Fellowship on campus and gets involved in as many sporting activities as he can, such as intramural sports, club soccer, and more. He also enjoys playing guitar, hiking, stargazing, spending time with family and friends, and playing just about any sport when the opportunity arises. After graduation, Zach hopes to find a job working in aircraft design and aerodynamics.
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Michael Enko
Michael Enko is from Westfield, Massachusetts and is currently in his junior year studying Civil & Environmental Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. On campus he has been a Peer Learning Assistant, secretary for the Ultimate Frisbee team, and is a brother of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In his free time he enjoys activities like hiking, biking, disc golf, and karaoke. This past summer he completed an internship with the Town of Amherst Department of Public Works and aspires to be a field engineer for a private Civil & Environmental Engineering firm.
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Molly Lellman
Molly Lellman is a junior Chemical Engineering major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from Northborough, Massachusetts. On campus, she is involved in the Eco-Rep Program, Women’s Club Rugby, and Alpha Xi Delta Women’s Fraternity. Molly has a passion for the outdoors and staying active. She loves to play rugby, go on day hikes and kayaking trips and occasionally take weekend backpacking trips. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends. After graduation, she plans to be employed by a company relevant to her field and to eventually continue her education and acquire a higher degree.
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Chiana Montesi
Chiana Montesi is currently a junior Biomedical Engineer (BME) with a concentration in biomechanics. Along with her BME degree she is also pursuing her minor in international studies. She is from a small town called Columbia, CT where she attended Windham High School. On campus she is involved in Varsity Softball, Habitat for Humanity, Accessibility Alliance, ACCESS, and is also an EDGE mentor. In here spare time she loves to take photographs, be outdoors, and play with her pets. When she graduates she aspires to work for a BME company and work directly with patients and doctors to sell devices.
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Charles Plummer
Charles Plummer is a junior Mechanical Engineering student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from Westborough, Massachusetts. On campus he is involved in Lambda Chi Alpha Men’s Social Fraternity, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Fraternity, the Student Support Network, and the Men’s Varsity Track and Field team. In his free time he enjoys being outside hiking, kayaking, and going to the beach. Spending time with his family is very important to him. After the planned completion of his bachelor’s degree he wants to further his education by studying for a master’s degree in a related engineering field.
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Veronica Rivero Gorrin
Veronica Rivero Gorrin “Vero” is from Caracas, Venezuela. She is currently in her third year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) studying Architectural Engineering. Her future academic plans include a Master’s degree related to sustainability and construction management. On campus, she is involved in extracurricular activities such as the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). She also loves to collaborate on sustainability issues on campus. Vero has a strong passion for sports, especially for football (soccer), and enjoys playing with her dogs at home. As a kid, one of her favorite hobbies was playing with LEGOs.
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Jason Whitehouse
Jason Whitehouse is a junior at WPI, studying Computer Science with a minor in Entrepreneurship. He is from Hebron, a small town in Connecticut. He also owned a small consulting business for several years until his recent retirement, and is an undergraduate researcher in the WPI CS department. Otherwise he can usually be found outdoors hiking, climbing, or camping. After graduating he hopes to eventually start a new business and live abroad.