UT Tyler Alum Recognized by State Engineering Society

February 5, 2026 | Hannah Buchanan

Tania Acosta of Houston, a 2019 graduate from The University of Texas at Tyler Houston Engineering Center, was named “2026 Young Engineer of the Year” by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers–Greater Houston Chapter.

The distinction is awarded to a Houston-based TSPE member who has made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and the community during the early years of one’s career. Acosta works as a graduate engineer for geotechnical services at Raba Kistner, Inc. in Houston. Among volunteer roles, she chairs the volunteering and fundraising committees at Raba Kistner’s Houston office and serves as Director 2 for TSPE.

“We are proud of Tania for being recognized by the TSPE and look forward to seeing her continued success,” said Dr. Yasser Mahgoub, UT Tyler HEC director. “She represents the Houston Engineering Center very well and is part of our great network of alumni.”

Acosta will be recognized during a chapter reception later this month as part of 2026 Engineers Week celebrations.

She credits the UT Tyler Houston Engineering Center for her career success, noting the program’s accessibility and affordability. “The HEC gave me the same opportunities of a four-year university with different organizations and hands-on labs close to home,” she said. “It’s a great relief to be able to get a degree that provides you with the knowledge and skills required for the current market without student loan debt.”

Acosta holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the UT Tyler Houston Engineering Center and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma with hopes of becoming a licensed professional engineer. She enjoys baking, knitting, hosting game nights and volunteering.

Since 2013, UT Tyler provides better access to quality engineering education for students in and around the Greater Houston area through the Houston Engineering Center. To learn more, visit uttyler.edu.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.