As president of UCSD's Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Alex wants to empower the Hispanic community. He loves soccer in addition to problem-solving, in addition to he likewise cares deeply for underrepresented regions in addition to hopes to prepare engineering for education.
Name: Alex Buitimea
Major: Computer Engineering
Estimated graduation date: June 2016
Why did you lot guide engineering scientific discipline at UC San Diego?
I recall primarily inward the surface area I grew up, there’s non many engineers. Not many talked most engineering. I myself didn’t know what engineering scientific discipline was until the final twelvemonth when I was choosing my major. I knew I was expert at math in addition to I knew I liked solving problems, but I didn’t know that what the the important of engineering scientific discipline was— solving problems. Obviously, non knowing what path I was going to guide maintain but knowing I wanted to something similar that, that’s why I ended upward choosing it.
I’m real fond of technology, I’m real fond of computers. I was truly expert at it, I believe, because I was ever on my laptop. So pairing the two, I chose figurer engineering. I knew this was a expert engineering scientific discipline school.
What create you lot encounter yourself doing inward the future, goals later school?
Many people guide maintain been bespeak me this, peculiarly recruiters. I ever tell the same thing: I don’t know. I larn past times experience. You know, trying out dissimilar things, you lot acquire to larn what you’re truly passionate about. I ever tell all our members inward SHPE, it’s okay non to guide maintain a passion, it’s okay if you lot don’t know your goal, but simply past times letting yourself effort dissimilar things, you’re going to uncovering what you’re passionate most in addition to what you lot recall you’re expert at in addition to what you lot should truly proceed doing. So I know I desire to become into manufacture because I truly similar the atmosphere of working amongst other people, peculiarly where you lot acquire to solve problems that are truly going to become into the footing in addition to out there, into things people are truly going to purchase. I recall I desire to become into manufacture for that same reason. I tin start working in addition to teams in addition to seat materials out there.
Do you lot encounter yourself amongst a specific company? Or create you lot guide maintain a dream job, beyond practicality?
It ever brings me dorsum to where I grew up. In the San Fernando Valley, there’s non many opportunities. You rarely hear most engineering. Schools are non that great. But ane thing that engineering does for them is it provides them novel opportunities to learn inward dissimilar ways. It likewise encourages students to pursue STEM, in addition to thus I knew my freshman year, I wanted to pursue figurer engineering scientific discipline to a greater extent than on the side of edifice engineering for education, such equally edifice smart boards, things similar that. Building devices that truly assist students larn better, in addition to thus I recall I desire to follow that path. I know Microsoft in addition to Google are doing big things along that path. If I tin endure involved amongst a fellowship that has that sort of sector or projection for education, I recall I’ll follow that.
If you lot weren’t inward engineering, what create you lot recall you’d endure doing?
I honestly don’t know what I’d endure doing other than engineering. I truly similar solving problems, in addition to that’s just what engineering scientific discipline is. If I were to create something else, I’d in all probability endure a contractor. Throughout high school, I worked amongst my dad inward demolition, in addition to thus I would operate at task sites, demolishing houses in addition to bringing metals apart. His dream has ever been to guide maintain his ain company, in addition to he’s been doing this for the past times 4 years. I’ve been helping him. In the province of affairs he’s inward correct now, he can’t endure the possessor or managing director in addition to thus he’s ever bespeak me if I’d endure willing to create it. After all these years helping, I recall I would create that, beingness a contractor.
What are 3 interesting facts most you?
1) My passion for turning engineering to education. I honour working amongst other people on teams, in addition to I honour their ideas in addition to strengths equally well. That’s ane of the reasons I chose to endure the president of our [SHPE] chapter. I was going to endure working amongst 11 other students to displace that chapter forward.
2) Respecting people in addition to working on teams.
3) Definitely stamina. I played soccer inward high schoolhouse in addition to straightaway on an intramural team. It’s definitely stamina to displace forward. Even if you’re discouraged amongst non getting a for sure internship or a for sure query seat or doing good inward class, if you lot simply acquire upward in addition to proceed on trying, at the cease of the day, you’re going to cease upward on the other side. That’s something that I’m real fortunate to encounter inward myself, that I guide maintain that stamina to proceed going.
Would you lot state you lot guide maintain a favorite quote along those lines? Or something you lot alive by?
I ever similar to operate amongst teams. One thing I ever rest is “If you lot could create something inward nether ii minutes, simply create it now.” At ane of my internships, ane of my co-workers would ever lived past times that. It simply clicked amongst me. Why wait? Keep moving forward.
Also, if you lot could state you lot tin create things differently in addition to state that you’re working hard...Working difficult is non enough. It’s working smart, making for sure that the amount of fourth dimension you’re putting inward is smart. Make the correct determination most how you’re spending time.
Hobbies?
I similar spending fourth dimension amongst my friends in addition to I play soccer on the weekends. I’ve been playing soccer for twelve years, the commencement vii years I played defence in addition to the past times 5 years I’ve played correct midfielder. I likewise play video games, in addition to that’s weird because I played no video games until my 3rd twelvemonth of college. I guide maintain an xbox, but I likewise play League of Legends.
What does this displace hateful to you? Any specific opinions?
Primarily, the displace likewise falls nether our [SHPE’s] objective, which is to empower the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential. All STEM majors. Everything is possible simply past times putting your hear to it in addition to making for sure that you lot don’t tell yourself that you lot can’t create something if you’re real passionate. Just because you lot don’t guide maintain the same opportunities equally everyone else, it doesn’t hateful that you lot can’t endure successful. We brand for sure that people don’t recall that way. There are people inward your community that volition assist you lot endure successful. I recall that likewise falls nether the campaign. No affair what people recall or what you lot recall of yourself or what you lot can’t do, other people may encounter it differently in addition to believe inward you. Know that you lot tin endure an engineer, that you lot tin endure successful.
I grew upward inward a social judge community. It was expert in addition to bad. I grew upward amongst my main equally likewise my life mentor. He was real passionate most how anything is possible. I seat my ain spin to it, past times empowering the community amongst STEM. Making for sure that nosotros become into STEM fields, that nosotros become inward in addition to explore in addition to solve problems. I’m truly taking a course of instruction inward ethnics in addition to work. You’d endure surprised how much variety helps amongst solving problems in addition to how having a various team— non necessarily simply a affair of beingness Hispanic or black. Having people who recall differently volition truly assist you lot solve a work much ameliorate than having people who all recall the same.
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