Alejandro (Alex) Buitimea, a computer-engineering major who expects to graduate in 2017, is the current president of the UC San Diego chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). He is also the latest student to be featured in the Jacobs School of Engineering's #ILookLikeAnEngineer social-media campaign.
Originally from Sylmar, Calif., Buitimea (at left) is interested in human-computer interaction and design, and he's hoping to find a summer internship to get more hands-on experience in both areas. In 2014-15 Buitimea also worked on a team in Calit2's Qualcomm Institute that developed an Anrdoid application that turns a smart device into an augmented-reality platform -- specifically a tool to be used in cyberarchaeology for viewing information related to an archaeological artifact.
In the social-media campain, Buitimea says he hopes to empower the Hispanic community and introduce more students to computer engineering. "In the area where I grew up, not many talked about engineering," recalls Buitimea. "I myself didn't know what engineering was when I was choosing my major. I knew I liked math and solving problems, and I'm also fond of technology and computers. So pairing the two, I chose computer engineering."
He adds: "Just because you don't have the same opportunities as everyone else, it doesn't mean that you cannot be successful. There are people in your community that will help you be successful."
"I knew my freshman year that I wanted to pursue computer engineering, more on the side of building technology for education," says Buitimea. "Building devices that actually help students learn better, I know Microsoft and Google are doing big things along that path. If I can be involved with a company in that kind of sector, I think I'd follow that."
Read the full interview on the Jacobs School of Engineering blog.