Experiences
TBSI-URISE UC Berkeley
During the summer of 2019, I traded the traditional Miami swimsuit for a lab coat as I traveled cross country to the beautiful state of California, where I accepted a research position at the University of California Berkeley. Other than being on the West Coast for the first time, I thought this experience would be just another line on my resume and no different than my previous summer research experiences. The goals I had for myself that summer were as they were every summer: become a better engineer and researcher through newly acquired skills. Little did I know that at the end of 10 weeks, I would leave with something much more valuable than that.
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At Berkeley, I was part of the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), a collaborative research and education center of Tsinghua University and UC Berkeley. These top engineering and science academic institutions in the US and China are working together to establish an ecosystem for transformational technology research that address global challenges, which initially drew me to this specific program. Within TBSI I worked in the Data Science and Information Technology Center, which focuses on wearable sensing technologies, and I was tasked with designing a piezoelectrect sensor to detect pressure changes of the radial artery.
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Upon being tasked with this specific project, I had to conduct extensive literature reviews, and, although all technical components of this assignment awed me, there was one specific part that caught my attention: the global aspect. The sensor I designed followed the basic principles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which at the time, I knew little to nothing about. Upon extensive review, I had tapped into a world that I was completely unfamiliar with, which would lay the foundation for my project. I was integrating the basis of TCM and sensing technologies for health assessment which would forever change the way I approach distinct issues as an engineer as I can now appreciate the value of tackling an issue from a global lens. Although my experience in the lab was quite transformational, my global experience did not stop there.
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While at Berkeley, I had the opportunity of living at the International House (also known as I-House) which is focused on promoting intercultural experiences and leadership skills for a world of greater understanding. I vividly remember when my program coordinator explained to me that, due to logistical reasons, I would be having to share my room with two other individuals whereas the others in the program had a single. Initially, I was extremely upset and could not understand how a mix up like this could occur. In hindsight, this “mistake” was probably one of the best things that has happened in my entire life. From late Mandarin lessons with my roommates from Taiwan and Hong Kong to Lebanese and South Korean coffee hours, my stay at I-House significantly enhanced my experience at Berkeley as it allowed me to experience foreign cultures by engaging with people from all over the world. Every evening I also engaged in various rewarding discussions with people in the dining hall and I can now say I have a global network of international friends. From friends studying business in Denmark to others studying film in Singapore, engaging in conversations with others from around the globe was truly life changing. Not only did I gain a global perspective, but my eyes were opened to the wonderful diversity of the world.
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TECHNOLOchica 4.0
I was selected as the student face for the national TECHNOLOchicas campaign. The campaign is focused on encouraging more Latinas to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math by sharing the stories of powerful Latina women. Through this immense honor, I've had the opportunity to not only represent my commitment to service and leadership, but that of FIU and the City of Miami on a national platform.
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When the campaign launched in January, I had the opportunity to mentor about seventy Latina students from Bell Middle School and Perkins Elementary in San Diego who traveled to the Qualcomm’s headquarters for a panel discussion and hands-on STEM workshops. In addition to the service aspect of the campaign, I have had the opportunity to share my story which was shared through broadcast television, local events, social media, online videos, workshops, conference panels, and outreach events.
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I participate in these outreach programs because my hope for women in the STEM community is that they never have to question their belonging in the field, as I once did, and that is why I have made every effort possible throughout my time at the undergraduate level to ensure that. I have focused my leadership endeavors to assist the rising generation of women STEM leaders in underserved Miami communities, with the goal of inspiring these students to become leaders of their communities and ensure that these women of diverse backgrounds have a fair shot at a “seat at the table”. I have devoted my time to providing guidance and support for these underrepresented students that might not otherwise obtain mentorship, as many once did for me.
FIU in DC Fly In: Future of Resilience
The spring semester of my freshman year I was selected to join the fourth cohort of the FIU Worlds Ahead Fly-In Series on The Future of Resilience. This was one of my first interactions with students from other majors and I started to explore what interdisciplinary collaboration could look like.
This experience provided me the exclusive opportunities to engage with national thought leaders, and policymakers. We explored and developed policy recommendations that addressed political, economic, and social challenges impacting our future.
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Still adding on this one!
