Major: General Engineering
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Year at Cal Poly: First Year
What made you choose engineering?
I chose engineering because I want to work with biofuels for a career, and Cal Poly has a chemical engineering concentration for general engineering majors.
What is your favorite place in San Luis Obispo County and why?
My favorite place in San Luis Obispo County is the very top of Bishop Peak. I hiked up there with my roommates earlier this year during the Tri-Tip Challenge. It was a memorable experience that not only offered breathtaking views of the city and surrounding mountains but also provided a sense of connection to nature and the sky. We were up there with the turkey vultures, and it felt like I was flying alongside them.
What was your earliest engineering project?
My earliest engineering project was making a light bulb circuit in first grade with my dad. It felt very accomplishing to wire batteries together and light up a bulb and show it off at the science fair. This early exposure to hands-on experimentation ignited a lifelong interest in engineering and set the stage for my future endeavors in STEM.
What are your hobbies?
I like to go to the gym, play basketball and soccer, hike and play video games with my friends.
What has been your favorite class and why?
My favorite class so far has been Linear Analysis I with Professor Caixing Gu. I thought it was very intriguing to learn a new way to apply math. It tied some other concepts from earlier classes together and made sense of them, which I also thought was cool.
What’s your dream job after graduation?
I dream of becoming a chemical engineer, contributing to the renewable energy industry and making the Earth a cleaner place. My aspiration is to leverage my future skills and knowledge in chemical engineering to develop innovative solutions for renewable energy production and environmental conservation.
What do you think engineering’s biggest impact on the world will be in the future?
I think engineering’s biggest impact in the near future will be with the production of clean energy and the mitigation of climate change.
Are you part of any extracurriculars on or off campus?
I am a part of basketball and soccer intramural teams. The intramurals here are really fun because I can play the sports I enjoy with people I know in addition to meeting new people.
Why did you choose to attend Cal Poly, and what was the path that brought you here?
I chose to attend Cal Poly because I learned it was a great engineering school. The Learn by Doing approach combined with the opportunity to learn from professors who are in the industry align perfectly with my career aspirations. I knew the hands-on, experiential learning method at Cal Poly would offer the perfect environment to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges.
By Taylor Villanueva
