5,000+

Amalia Iselda Osborne is a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Biochemistry at North Carolina State University.
Her achievements include the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Multicultural Students Affairs Freshman Honors
Convocation. “Before attending high school I participated in a STEM summer program called GEMS (Gains in Education of
Mathematics and Sciences) at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Once successfully completing this program I knew that I
wanted to pursue a career within the STEM field. My decision was further emphasized the next fall when I was admitted into the
Biotechnology STI Program at North Point High School for Science and Technology. The Minority Engineering Program at NC
State has given me a place to call home. It has allowed me to have mentors that I can depend on for help and support when family is so far away. The
MEP Overnight Stay is the reason why I attended North Carolina State University and I believe it is the best decision I have ever made. The STP
program helped me to adapt to life as a college student, as well as make close bonds with friends in which I still have today.
Andrew F. Pita received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University. His achievements
include Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, IEEE, and Eta Kappa Nu Honor Society. “Being that my dad was an electrical
engineer, technology was always around me while growing up. Between my upbringing and my talent in math and science,
engineering was a natural career path choice. As Hispanics only make up roughly 2% of the population at NC State, the programs
through MEP helped me adjust to the large college campus. The Summer Transition Program allowed me to gain insight into the
college culture and allowed me to develop a family of friends that I could rely on throughout my college career and even to this day.
MEP also gave opportunities through SHPE for me to explore and expand my leadership skills not only within MEP, but at a campus level as well. I
can honestly say that MEP was instrumental in guiding me along my journey through college and onto my professional career.”
Kristopher Rawls is a sophomore at North Carolina State University, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. His achievements
include North Carolina State University Scholars Program, and the North Carolina State University Goodnight Scholar. “I first
decided that engineering was for me when I went to my first conference for the National Society of Black Engineers. This
conference taught me about the different possibilities in engineering and it showed me that I could help make the world a better
place. After doing my own research I decided that I wanted to pursue biomedical engineering. During my senior year in high
school, I participated in the Minority Engineering Programs Overnight Stay at NC State University. As a participant, I was paired
with an upperclassman in engineering to see what college life was like at NC State. This was honestly one of the greatest experiences I have had,
because it was here that I validated that engineering was for me.”
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Francisco Rodriguez received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. His achievements
include Vice President of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and University Scholar. “Participating in activities helped me
network with and learn from the best Engineers in the US and worldwide. I am very thankful for the support and motivation I
received from the Minority Engineering Program at NC State University.”
Andrew Pablo Santos is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Spanish at North Carolina State
University. His achievements include the NC State Merit Scholarship, IBM Thomas J. Watson Scholarship, project lead for
Engineers without Borders, and Dean’s List since his freshman year. “I am a junior studying chemical engineering at North
Carolina State University. As an undergraduate I am involved as a START Mentor in the Minority Engineering Program,
undergraduate researcher, Engineers Without Borders project lead, a University math, physics and chemistry tutor and as a
member of Presbyterian Campus Ministries and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. My destiny was solidified when
I visualized my first simulation while in Hangzhou, China, as an undergraduate researcher. I am now sure that I will pursue a PhD after graduation.
Brittany Strachan received a B.S. degree in Computer Science, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Computer
Science at North Carolina State University. Her achievements include Caterpillar Scholar Athlete, Dean’s List, All-ACC
Academic Team, Weaver-James-Corrigan Award, and Jerry J. Collier Scholarship. “I always knew that my strength would be
something technical. Throughout grade-school, math and science were always my strong points. My love for computer science
came in the 11 th grade when I took a computer applications class for an elective. One of our final assignments was to design a
simple webpage, and I thought it was so interesting how little pieces of code put together in a certain way could produce such
an interesting product. My senior year in high school, I took an AP Computer Science course and after that class, I knew my major would be
computer science. I had one more confirmation I made the right choice when I took a Software Engineering course. During this course, I got to learn
the entire process of designing software. I realized there was a lot of documentation that went along with managing a project; it wasn’t simply
coding. When I had fun doing even the not-so glorious things in my eyes, I knew computer science would be a good fit for me.”
Roman Nicholas Torres is a senior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina State University. His achievements
include ASME President, and mentor for the Peer Mentoring Program, and Student Advancement Retention Teams. “I’m
currently a senior pursuing my Mechanical Engineering degree at North Carolina State University. I realized that mechanical
engineering was the perfect field for me when I began work at BMW. I have always had a passion for automobiles and BMW
allowed me to fully realize that this is the field I want to work in for my career. Through the MEP (Minority Engineering
Program) at NC State I was able to meet other minorities in engineering and network. After meeting other minorities I began to
admire the Latino culture and in an effort to fully embrace it, I helped start the first Latin fraternity at NC State.”