Latine Student Lives at USC Viterbi
Hear from Paul Lepe, CECS ’22
Read about USC Viterbi student experiences
Read alumni perspectives
I wanted to find a place that would support me and my unique passions as a second-generation Mexican-American college student.
Celine Vazquez, BME, Class of 2024
Hola a todos!
My name is Celine Vazquez, and I’m a senior at USC studying biomedical engineering. I was in your shoes not too long ago, trying to figure out what university I wanted to call home. I wanted to find a place that would support me and my unique passions as a second-generation Mexican-American college student. Coming to college was a culture shock for me, and I wanted to be a part of collecting these stories so that you know that when the time comes for you to start at your university, you are not alone in feeling intimidated and worried about what lies ahead.
Some friends and I reached out to our Latine/Hispanic friends at USC Viterbi to ask them about their experiences as an engineering student. While not everyone has the same story or path, I hope that you are able to relate to some of the students’ stories you read. This is an honest and vulnerable project depicting what it is like to be an underrepresented student at USC – navigating life as a student at a predominantly white institution, overcoming and thriving throughout the college experience, and gaining support and love from the community we have cultivated for ourselves.
Remember- si se puede, and Fight On!
Celine Vazquez
USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2024
Student Stories
Cinthia Sanchez
Industrial and Systems Engineering, Class of 2024
I’m Cinthia Sanchez a current senior at USC majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering and minoring in Law and Migration Studies. While that sounds like a whole tongue twister that is something I love about USC and in particular Viterbi. Ever since I
heard about Viterbi what had drawn me the most was this idea of Engineering+. This idea has really allowed me to think of myself beyond just an engineer.
Read Cinthia's Story
Monserratt Navarrete Vega
Mechanical Engineering, Class of 2024
I am a First-Gen student, daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico, and I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I am currently a junior. I am from the Inland Empire (IE), specifically Fontana, CA. I have lived in SoCal my whole life…Starting from the college application process, it was all very new to me. I did not have anyone who could really support me on how to navigate the process, which only increased the difficulty.
Read Monserratt's Story
Selina Martinez
Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Class of 2024
I am a proud Latina in her 4th year at USC studying Computer Engineering and Computer Science (CECS). My mom and dad immigrated to East LA from Michoacán and Durango, Mexico, respectively. Born and raised in Rosemead, CA, I do not come from far, but entering a rigorous engineering curriculum 3 years ago still posed challenges.
Read Selina's Story
Ashley Perez
Computer Science (Games), Class of 2023
My name is Ashley Soledad Perez Magaña, I am a junior majoring in Computer Science, Games and minoring in Game Animation. I am from South Gate, California and a child of immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico and El Salvador. I am a first-generation student. From an early age I knew that college was a must. I grew up low-income. I don’t say poor because there was always food on the table, even if it was just beans. My parents did not attend school past elementary.
Read Ashley's Story
Aiyana Bartolome
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Class of 2023
For the first time I didn’t see others’ accomplishments as things I didn’t do. I looked at the upperclassmen and alumni from SHPE and felt truly affirmed that if they could do it so could I. Their accomplishments were things that I didn’t do yet. The confidence and self-esteem I’ve rebuilt still has a ways to go, but I feel secure in my growth knowing that there really are people here that know what I’m feeling, and want to help me succeed.
Read Aiyana's Story
Valeria Hernandez Echegaray
Industrial & Systems Engineering, Class of 2023
Hello! My name is Valeria Hernandez Echegaray, I am a sophomore studying Industrial and Systems Engineering with a minor in News Media and Society. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where I went to the same school since I was in preschool and had a graduating class of 42 students. I had always been surrounded by LatinX people, Spanish-speakers, and people whose experiences were not too far different from mine.
Read Valeria's Story
Emily London
Electrical & Computer Engineering, Class of 2023
My name is Emily and I’m a junior majoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering with a minor in Cultural Diplomacy. On-campus, I’m a member of USC Makers, a Viterbi Student Ambassador, a course producer for EE109, and a research assistant at the Interaction Lab. My heritage is half Salvadorian and half white, and I’m from Virginia, but I moved around for most of my childhood. I lived in countries like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan, as well as moving around within the states.
Read Emily's Story
Melanie Arias
Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2022
After starting my freshman year at USC, I realized I had gotten so used to my own little bubble back home, and I was overwhelmed by how many different people, perspectives, and backgrounds I was encountering. Aside from just the culture shock, a huge case of imposter syndrome was settling in as well. There’s no doubt I had worked tirelessly during high school to get into such a great school like USC, but I would always question if what I did was enough to prepare me for the next 4 years of college.
Read Melanie's Story
Karen Gonzalez
Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2022
Hello, my name is Karen Gonzalez, I am a senior studying biomedical engineer with a mechanical emphasis. My parents are both immigrants from Mexico who met each other while they were working as seamsters. I was born in LA and grew up in Norwalk, CA. As a first-generation student, the transition from high school to college was difficult, but allowed me to learn about myself and grow as a person.
Read Karen's Story
Julissa Campos
Industrial & Systems Engineering, Class of 2022
I inadvertently got involved with many programs at USC outside of classes and proved to myself that I have done much more than I give myself credit for. It kept me busy and once I realized everybody at USC is going at their own pace with different experiences, I kicked imposter syndrome to the curb. I also began to realize there were other people, especially women, within my classes going through the same problems and decided to help in any way I could.
Read Julissa's Story
Jamie Flores
Computer Science, Class of 2021
I didn’t expect to feel imposter syndrome, but I definitely did. It felt like everyone else had been coding since they were in preschool, and I was struggling to catch up. This exaggeration was far from true, but it took awhile for me to realize. What helped me was knowing that others, who I looked up to and had been very successful, felt the same way I did at one point or another.
Read Jamie's Story
Miranda Jernberg
Chemical Engineering, Class of 2021
Hi! My name is Miranda Jernberg and I graduated from USC with a degree in Chemical Engineering with an emphasis in Sustainable Energy. During my time at USC, I was involved with a variety of different clubs and organizations. I served as Chief Administrative Officer for my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, and one of my favorite involvements was USC’s Latin fusion dance team called Break on 2.
Read Miranda's Story
Joses Galdamez
Computer Engineering & Computer Science, Class of 2021
Hey there! My name is Joses (Joe-ses) Galdamez. I graduated from USC in 2021 with a degree in Computer Engineering and Computer Science at USC. I was a transfer student from College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California and proudly a first-generation college student. I was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley along with my younger sister, where both my mom and dad’s families originated from El Salvador.
Read Joses's Story
Beatriz Sousa
Electrical Engineering, Class of 2021
From my first day to the last day of my last course, I knew that I was not a typical engineering student. In high school, I spent every second of my free time playing drums. From marching bands to a holiday toy drummer show at the local mall. My hardest classes in high school were math and physics … Hearing all this you might ask, “why did you choose to study engineering in college if your background didn’t lean toward it?” And that’s an excellent question and is something I was continuously asked during my time at USC.
Read Beatriz's Story
Alejandra Fuentes
Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2019
Hi everybody, my name is Alejandra Fuentes and I am a Manufacturing Engineer at Medtronic. I graduated from USC in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering. I currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Yes, I miss the weather!) where I work manufacturing batteries for all Medtronic medical devices, including pacemakers.
Read Alejandra's Story
Alumni
Xavier Hernandez
Industrial & Systems Engineering
I spent my whole life on a farm before coming to USC. I would spend my summers working in extreme heat and my winters working in extreme cold. Back in those days, I could never have pictured myself being where I am now. I left the farm to attend USC for aerospace engineering.
Read Xavier's Story
Ana Gabrielian
Aerospace Engineering
One of the most important things that happened to me while I was at USC happened to me in the week before school started. I went to a symposium for black and brown kids and the speaker there told me that I had 4 years to get this education and to do it amazingly. That doesn’t mean you get A’s – that may not even mean you get B’s. That means you do your best and you get through it and you will find your support system along the way.
Read Ana's Story
Rodolfo Perez
Biomedical Engineering
Hey y’all! My name is Rodolfo (Rudy) Perez and I graduated from USC with a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a Mechanical emphasis. I am a first-gen college student born and raised in Norwalk, CA and a very proud Mexican American. On campus, I was the Executive Vice President of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) USC Chapter, an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Zavaleta Molecular Imaging and Nano Diagnostics Lab, and a work-study Educator at the California Science Center.
Read Rodolfo's Story