Cara Elledge

Cara Elledge is a senior studying Biological Systems Engineering and minoring in Green Engineering! Originally from Rochester, NY, Cara chose Virginia Tech because of the great engineering programs and the surrounding nature. She is on the Environmental Health track and participates in undergraduate research with Dr. Krometis. For research, she helps test the water quality of roadside springs in Appalachia and map septic systems to understand the impact they have on the environment. She is passionate about the environment and finding ways to protect and heal it. 

Outside of BSE, she is the president of the Polo Club at Virginia Tech! While she has been riding horses most of her life, she enjoys trying a new discipline in college. Cara is also a member of Service Without Borders. She enjoys attending local volunteering events and helping New River Valley communities while making new friends. This past May, she travelled with SWB to help build irrigation canals in a remote area of Nepal. These canals help local communities grow apple trees which are a large part of the local economy. In her free time, Cara enjoys hiking, skiing, kayaking, and pottery.

As someone who transferred from Mechanical Engineering to Biological Systems Engineering halfway through her sophomore year, Cara values guidance from other students and wishes she had a mentor during her first semester in BSE. Cara wants to be a part of the mentoring program because she wants to help other students navigate the BSE major and take advantage of all the opportunities available to them at Virginia Tech.