Teaching has shaped the way Thet Htike connects with others since the earliest days of her childhood. As her love of learning blossomed, she sought to share what knowledge she had gained in school with anyone she could, "playing teacher" with her parents and grandparents.
Htike grew up in Burma and did a year of volunteer work before moving to the United States for college at 18. During that time, she leaned into her love of teaching by tutoring a young student.
But her work responsibilities included a major challenge: Burma’s unpredictable transit system, which she relied on for her commute. These issues inspired her focus on transit, which has been the cornerstone of her civil engineering career.
Today, Htike resides in San Diego. She has developed a strong connection with the community, which she hopes to enrich with transit improvements.
"I live in East County, and I have a car. But my sister doesn’t, and my mom and dad only have one car, so I know how difficult it is for them to get around," Htike said. "I want to help change that, or at least be a part of that change to connect more communities with business and education centers."
As her civil engineering career has grown, so has her commitment to teaching others. Today, she manages five civil engineers at HNTB, two of which she has known since their days as interns.
"What I love about working with them is I've seen them grow from zero experience to where they are now, about a year and a half in," said Htike.
She is also a leader of ASCE’s San Diego Young Member Forum, having served as DEI chair, social chair, and secretary of the group.
"I love learning myself, and when something clicks in my head, it's just the best feeling ever. I love doing that for other people as well," she said.
ASCE has honored Htike as a 2025 New Face of Civil Engineering.
She recently shared her story with Civil Engineering Source.
Civil Engineering Source: What’s the accomplishment or aspect of your career so far that you’re most proud of?
Thet Htike: If I had to pick, I would say the Mid-Coast Trolley project here in San Diego. It was a really impactful regional project that extended the blue line further north.
When I go out on the five (Interstate 5), I see it everywhere. Even though I only worked on it for a year and a half towards the end, it’s still a great project, I learned a lot from it, and I get to see it every day. People use it, and I'm really proud that I was able to make an impact on my immediate community.
On the professional side, I’m proud that I was able to get my professional engineer license early in my career, take on an office role at HNTB, and learn to manage that with my project work, time, and energy. That has been tough, but I think I’m doing okay.
Source: What kind of impact do you hope to make on the profession?
Htike: I really want to make a change in the communities that I work in. San Diego is now home, so I really want to see it become more connected, specifically with transit.
My sister goes to San Diego State University, and it takes her an hour – an hour and a half sometimes – to get from campus back home. I want to be a part of cutting that time down, however long it takes.
In 30-40 years, when I look back, I want to see that change and know that I had a big role in it.
Another impact I want to make is seeing more women – particularly women of color like me – in leadership roles and in the industry in general.
I went to college at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, and there just weren’t a lot of people that I could relate to, which was really hard. I was also an international student, so I had just moved to the U.S., and it was very much a culture shock.
That was hard to navigate, and it was similar when I came to the profession. There were definitely times where I felt like I didn't fit in or that it wasn't cut out for me. I had a lot of doubt coming into the profession, so I want to change that stigma and the demographics of the industry.
Source: What inspired your interest in teaching, and what do you find most fulfilling about working with aspiring engineers? How does this passion present itself in your day-to-day career activities?
Htike: When I was really young, I wanted to be a teacher. I had a passion for it. When I explain something to somebody, it also helps me understand it more. I really liked that, so I've always tried to teach people anything that I learned even at a really young age, like puzzles or how to color inside the lines. I would come back home from preschool and teach my parents and grandparents what I had learned, which really helped me retain the information.
As I got older and older, it kept going because I have a younger sister. Whenever she has homework or anything that she needs help with, I'm there for her. We study together.
I also tutored physics and math in college. I just love seeing people learn and grow, and when I see that I’ve explained something in a way that they understand, that gives me fulfillment. I did volunteer tutoring work teaching a fourth-grader English speaking and math as well, which was really fun for me to do.
Now, I have five direct reports, all entry-level engineers. They just started working in the industry, so they have a lot of questions about the different aspects of what we do.
I'm always there to help them with any technical work that they're doing. Whether it’s a program-related or design-related question, I sit down with them whenever I can. We’re all in the office, so it's easy to go over to their desks or for them to come over to mine and walk through whatever they're having issues with.
Two of them I've known since they were interns. What I love about working with them is that I've seen them grow from zero experience to where they are now, about a year and a half in.
I tell them often that I have loved seeing them grow, learn to do things they weren't able to before, and teach the newer people that come in. When I see them trying to teach the new staff, it's so fulfilling to see that they've learned while working with me and are trying to give it forward.
