I am a first-generation Chicana enrolled in CMU's Mechanical Engineering PhD program. My research is in thermal monitoring of the laser powder bed fusion metal additive manufacturing process with a focus on understanding the process physics and heat transfer involved. As a member of the LGSA board, we support the mission of LGSA by creating an inclusive space for students to interact and grow together. We strive to build a stronger community for graduate Latinos at CMU providing resources and connections that provide support in various facets.
Soy una chicana de primera generación inscrita en el programa de doctorado en Ingeniería Mecánica de CMU. Mi investigación se centra en la monitorización térmica del proceso de fabricación de aditivos de metal de fusión de lecho de polvo láser, con un enfoque en la comprensión de la física del proceso y la transferencia de calor que implica. Como miembros de la junta directiva de LGSA, apoyamos la misión de LGSA creando un espacio inclusivo para que los estudiantes interactúen y crezcan juntos. Nos esforzamos por construir una comunidad más fuerte para los latinos graduados en CMU, proporcionando recursos y colaboración.
Q-bo! My name is Gala Cassiel Solis (she/her). I was born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and grew up in the sister city El Paso, TX right across the border. I acquired my bachelors of science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in mathematics from The University of Texas at El Paso where I was highly involved with the aerospace community and founded the Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics organization. Due to my interest in space and manufacturing, I took a wide variety of internships at places such as NASA, Honeywell, Launcher, MIT, and Aerospace Corp which all led me to pursue my PhD focusing on Metal Additive Manufacturing as a GEM fellow. Here at CMU, I focus on thermal imaging on Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing for large scale 3D printing in-situ melt pool monitoring. I’m extremely passionate about music and cooking - I collect records, play the bass, and you will definitely catch me crowd-surfing at a show almost every weekend. As social media chair, I’m devoted to sharing all the fun activities and experiences during all LGSA events and staying connected with the CMU latinx community.
Hola! My name is Camila Pagán (she/her) and I am from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. At CMU I am a part of a dual degree masters program in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering and Technology Innovation Management (ETIM). I did my undergrad in biomedical engineering and worked in a medical device company for three years. I was looking to broaden both my technical and management knowledge and decided that CMU was the best fit for me. I am also fortunate to have received the GEM Fellowship. As LGSA's Vice President one of my top priorities is creating a community for Latinx graduate students on campus. Moving to a new state or country can be very isolating especially as a graduate student who is being constantly academically challenged. I want LGSA to be the space where members can connect to share resources, experiences, and personal connections to help uplift others in the community. I also see our community as a very lively one that enjoys spending time together over good food and music! You don't have to be Hispanic or Latinx to join our familia, just be curious and respectful about wanting to learn more!
Hola! Mi nombre es Camila Pagán (ella) y soy de Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. En CMU estoy haciendo una doble maestría en ingeniería mecánica e ingeniería de administración conocido en inglés como Engineering and Technology Innovation Management (ETIM). Estudié mi barchiderato en ingeniería biomédica y trabajé por tres años en la industria de equipos médicos. Mientras trabajaba estuve buscando un programa que pudiese ampliar mi conocimiento técnico y administrativo. Por esta razón decidí venir a CMU con apoyo del GEM Fellowship. Como vicepresidenta de LGSA una de mis prioridades crear un ambiente de comunidad entre los estudiantes graduados latinx. Mudarse a un estado o país nuevo puede ser muy solitario, sobre todo para estudiantes graduados a quienes se les exige mucho académicamente. Quiero que LGSA sea un espacio en dónde los miembros pueden compartir recursos, experiencias de vida y conexiones personales para ayudar a impulsar a otros en la comunidad. Además, veo nuestra comunidad como una viva y llena de energía en dónde nos disfrutamos compartir unos con los otros con comida y buena música. No tienes que ser hispano o latinx para unirte a nuestra familia, solo debes tener curiosidad y respeto por aprender más sobre nuestra cultura.
My name is Aris Augusto Faria Chavez! I come from Cabimas, Venezuela. I did my bachelors degree focused in Electrical Engineering in Universidad Rafael Urdaneta located in Maracaibo, Venezuela(May 2020). Now, I'm a 2nd year Master student doing the MS-R in Mechanical Engineering program. Here at CMU, my research is focused towards autonomous mobile robots specifically planning and controls. I love Venezuelan food such as tequeños, pastelitos, empanadas. I like to play the guitar and practice extreme watersports(Kitesurf and Wakeboard)
Hola! Mi nombre es Aris Augusto Faria Chavez. Vengo de Cabimas, Venezuela. Hice mi pregrado especializado en Ingenieria Electrica en la Universidad Rafael Urdaneta-Maracaibo, Venezuela(Graduado en Mayo 2020). Actualmente estoy haciendo mi segundo año en el programa de MSR-Mechanical Engineering. Me estoy especializando en Robots Autonomos. Especificamente en el area de Planning y Controls. Me encanta la comida venezolana como los tequeños, pastelitos, y las empanadas. Me gusta tocar la guitarra y practicar deportes acuaticos(Kitesurf y Wakeboard).
Hello! My name is Melanie (she/her/hers) and I am a Chicana (Mexican-American) from Los Angeles, CA. I completed my undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University and earned my BA in English and BA in Global Studies from Dietrich College in 2017. After graduation, I received a Fulbright Fellowship to work as an English Teaching Assistant in Spain for two years. Afterwards, I returned to Los Angeles, where I was a high school teacher for three years. I have returned to CMU to pursue a MS in Public Policy and Management at Heinz College. I have joined LGSA as the Officer of Internal Relations with the hopes of increasing solidarity work between LGSA and fellow CMU organizations. To this work, I bring my personal commitment to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion; I want all LGSA members to feel valued and respected in the work that we do, not only within our organization, but also within the general CMU community.
Hola! Soy Melanie (ella), una Chicana de Los ├â┬üngeles, CA. He completado mi licenciatura en la Universidad de Carnegie Mellon y obtuve mi BA en Literatura y mi BA en Estudios Globales desde Dietrich College en 2017. Después de graduarme, obtuve un Fulbright Fellowship para trabajar como un asistente de enseñanza de inglés en España por dos años. Después, me volví a Los ├â┬üngeles, donde era una maestra de instituto por tres años. He regresado a CMU para obtener mi MS en Public Policy and Management desde Heinz College. Me uní a LGSA como la Officer of Internal Relations con la esperanza de mejorar el trabajo de la solidaridad entre LGSA y otras organizaciones de CMU. A este puesto, traigo mi compromiso personal a los valores de la diversidad, la equidad, y la inclusión; espero que todos los miembros de LGSA se siente valerosos y respetados en todo el trabajo que hacemos, no solamente en nuestro organización, pero también en la comunidad de CMU en general.
I'm Sebastian Bernal, a Master's student in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I never thought I'd be at CMU, especially since I went to a public high school with a graduating class of around 1,000 students, but here we are. I was born in Brooklyn, and raised in Queens, New York. I've always been very in touch with my Mexican and Colombian heritage, and getting to know the Hispanic and Latino communities at CMU has only inspired me to push myself even more. There are very few of us on campus, but luckily I found a tight-knit community through my involvement in Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers as an undergrad. As the external relations chair for LGSA, I seek to connect members with accessible employment and mentorship opportunities. I'll also be connecting with different organizations in Pittsburgh, such as the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, that want to support our mission to promote graduate programs in Latin America and local Latino/Hispanic communities.
Hola! My name is Luis Hurtado, a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. I completed my bachelors degree at the University of Central Florida in the department of Electrical Engineering and decided I wanted to explore the field more deeply and that led me to the PhD. I was born in Cuba in the city of Cienfuegos and immigrated to the US at the age of 3 where I lived in Miami most of my life. I am very excited to be part of the LGSA community and have the opportunity to give back to the latin community here at CMU.
My name is Felipe. My family immigrated from Quito, Ecuador and I now live in Northern Virginia. I am a Mechanical Engineering M.S. student researching bio-inspired robotics. My current research involves investigating the tether mechanisms used by spiders and applying the principles to create latch-actuated tether launchers for ground and aerial robots. I did my undergraduate studies at Harvey Mudd College in California and did my first M.S. in Virginia Tech. CMU is my dream school so I came after receiving the GEM Fellowship. I hope to stick around for a Ph.D. LGSA has given me a community of caring, fascinating, diverse students who care deeply about supporting each other and having a good time. Among all the responsibilities and pressures of graduate school, it is refreshing to have a little slice of home and a "found familia" here on campus. The org has had a profound impact on my time here. By making more and better events and getting more students involved, our hope is to extend this sense of community and belonging to all latin students at CMU.
Mi nombre es Felipe. Mi familia emigró de Quito, Ecuador y ahora vivo en el norte de Virginia. Soy estudiante de maestría (MS-R) del departamento de ingeniería mecánica, investigando robótica bioinspirada. Mi investigación actual consiste en investigar los mecanismos de sujeción utilizados por las arañas y aplicar los principios para crear lanzadores de fijación accionados por pestillo para robots terrestres y aéreos. Hice mis estudios universitarios en Harvey Mudd College en California e hice mi primer M.S. en Virginia Tech. CMU es la escuela de mis sueños, así que vine después de recibir la GEM Fellowship. Espero quedarme para obtener un doctorado. LGSA me ha brindado una comunidad de estudiantes cariñosos, fascinantes y diversos que se preocupan profundamente por apoyarse mutuamente y pasarla bien. Entre todas las responsabilidades y presiones de los estudios posgraduados, es refrescante tener un pedacito de hogar y una "familia encontrada" aquí en el campus. La organización ha tenido un profundo impacto en mi tiempo aquí. Al hacer más y mejores eventos e involucrar a más estudiantes, nuestra esperanza es extender este sentido de comunidad y pertenencia a todos los estudiantes latinos en CMU.
Saludos! My name is Lucero Lopez and I am first-generation Latina. My family immigrated from Mexico and I born and raised in Southern California. I am the first in my family to attend undergraduate and graduate school. I am currently studying Computational Material Science under Dr. Elizabeth Holm in the Department of Material Science and Engineering. Currently, I am also an IBM GEM Fellow and Co-Op Intern for the Department of Material Characterization which means balancing school, life and work. As a board member of LGSA, it is my mission to help fellow Latinos in graduate school as this process was not easy for me, but I hope we can make a difference for the future CMU graduates.
├é┬íSaludos! Soy Lucero López y soy latina de primera generación. Mi familia emigró de México y yo nací en el sur de California. Soy la primera persona en mi familia en asistir a la escuela universitaria y a la escuela graduada. Actualmente estoy estudiando Ciencia Computacional de Materiales bajo la guía de Dr. Elizabeth Holm en el departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de Materiales. Actualmente soy una IBM GEM Fellow y Co-Op Intern para el departamento de caracterización de materiales que implica balancear la escuela, la vida y el trabajo. Como lider y miembro de LGSA, es mi meta poder ayudar a mis compañeros Latinos estudiantes graduados en su proceso de adaptación a la escuela graduada ya que este proceso no fue fácil para mí y espero que podamos hacer una diferencia a futuros estudiantes graduados en CMU.
Hi I am Diana Gomez, a Mexican-American and first-generation doctoral student raised in South Gate, CA, a city within Los Angeles County with a large Latinx community. I am pursuing a Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering and my research interest lies in trustworthy Autonomous Vehicles. I am also very interested in Social Justice and DEI initiatives and aim to become a professor to bring equity and change to academia. I joined LGSA to find community here at CMU and as a board member I aim to ensure community and inclusivity.
I'm Peter, a second year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering, working in the Soft Machines Lab, building soft and flexible robots. I'm from Viña del Mar, Chile and I'm here in Pittsburgh, for the second time, with my family (wife and kids). I believe that LGSA has the potential to bring together people from the most diverse and interesting backgrounds, building a real support network for all its members. Most of us international students arrive in Pittsburgh on our own and we need to overcome all sorts of challenges related to a different country, city, language, culture, etc. The best way to do this is with friends who can aid in this process and make it easier. That's what LGSA can do for its members, with the help of all of us.
Juan Luis Vasquez is a Research Engineer working in cutting edge robotics, controls and perception at Southwest Research Institute in the development of autonomous systems. He is also supporting global planning in Mission Operations for a NASA contracted lunar exploration rover set to launch in 2023.
Juan Luis is a recent graduate from Carnegie Mellon University with a Mechanical Engineering Master's degree in robotics and control systems. Born in Venezuela, Juan Luis was raised in California where he completed a joint undergrad between USF and USC and worked for Lockheed Martin prior to returning to graduate school at CMU.
