2017-2018 Executive Board
Samuel P. Perez
President Electrical Engineering Senior |
My name is Samuel Perez, I am originally from Culiacan, Sinaloa but I grew up in the west side of Phoenix. My family, education, and community are the most important aspects of my life. SHPE to me is a community of leaders that empowering not only future engineers but Latinos and Chicanos, while also generating engineers that can truly change world. Fun Fact: I am a foodie, so if I will accept any food invitations or recommendations if any one has any! |
Andrew Alonso Vice President External Mechanical Engineering Senior |
My name is Andrew Alonso and I am a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering here at ASU! I enjoy my course work and find subjects like math and science interesting. Aside from academics, I love to play soccer! Soccer is actually the reason why I am with SHPE today. I first got involved through SHPE's intramural soccer team and through a teammate I was able to learn more about the organization itself. At first I just wanted to build up my resume so I joined the Vice-President External committee but I quickly began admiring SHPE and found that being involved is fun! Ever since joining SHPE, my time at ASU has been significantly better, and simply said, more fun with all of the new friends I have made. My extracurricular activities now consist of playing intramural soccer and being apart of SHPE and I couldn't be happier. I am glad to be a part of this high achieving organization and look forward to another great year with the SHPE familia! |
Esmeralda Nava
Vice President External Construction Junior |
My name is Esmeralda Nava and I am currently a Junior in Construction Engineering. I was born and raised in phoenix, while my parents are originally from Mexico. I was first introduced to SHPE by my sister, who had previously worked with SHPE as a part of HBSA. After just a few meetings I quickly became entranced by the atmosphere in the room whenever I went to one. It became my home away from home and as time passed I grew increasingly passionate about our mission and vision. As VP Internal, I want to give you all access to relationships I have created in the past couple of years. I also plan to encourage you all to be more involved within the ASU community and become involved with other events on campus such as community service events, hackathons, and networking events that lead you to become better students and professionals. During this academic year I hope to spread our name even further and to create a team that is as passionate as I am about bringing others into our familia and making sure that our current members are still experiencing and SHPE familia vibe at every meeting, event, and intramural game. Should you need anything at all, or have any inquiries about joining my committee, please feel free to reach out to me at enava786@gmail.com.
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Vanesa Contreras Rodriguez Treasurer Business Entrepreneurship Junior |
My name is Vanesa Contreras Rodriguez and I have the privileged of being your 2017-2018 Treasurer! (DISCLAIMER: I am not an engineering major.) I am a Business Entrepreneurship junior at the W. P. Carey School of Business with a minor in Spanish. I joined SHPE de ASU because I saw how welcoming and fruitful the environment was. I was hooked since my first GMB back in August of 2015 and have been an active member ever since. From helping plan Noche de Ciencias and working at tabling events, I have been exposed to the impact I can make on my community by participating with SHPE de ASU. I am an education-driven individual so when I saw that much of our outreach focuses on informing Latinos how to prepare and succeed in a post-secondary career, I knew SHPE de ASU was the place for me.
As your Treasurer, I am looking forward to contributing to past efforts by creating a financially stable and prosperous organization who puts the needs of its members first. I also hope to increase the number of sponsorships for students attending SHPE National Conference and RLDC by 25% and cultivate a larger monetary budget to buy additional SHPE swag, professional materials for our members, and funds for social gatherings. As a college student, I know the financial struggle we face and I want to eliminate any monetary barriers regarding our academic and professional success. My core belief in what SHPE de ASU has set out to accomplish is unwavering and fulfilling what is best for our members is guaranteed. |
Miguel Cuen
Secretary Computer Science (Software Engineering) Sophomore |
My name is Miguel Cuen and I'm a Sophomore in Computer Science (Software Engineering) here at ASU. My family comes from Tijuana, Mexico and moved here in the early 2000's. I lived in Glendale Arizona most of my life until I moved to Tempe for the university. It was a big change going to a big university and being away from your family at first, It was really hard, I was and am a full time engineering student, full time worker as a server, and the new Secretary but I had a few very important people in my life pushing me through it and getting me to this point.
I joined SHPE my freshmen year because the current secretary told me I could play soccer and get free food at the meetings, and for a Hispanic, that sounded amazing. I got more involved into the organization because it seemed like such a great place to be and couldn't imagine going through college alone. SHPE means several things to me, it ranges from giving me an extremely friendly environment where I can make friends and be social to giving me amazing opportunities and tools to build my future. It's truly an amazing environment where I hope to see grow and flourish. I have several goals, both personal and for the club. One very important goal I’m keen on is to recruit active members and especially find people to replace current e-board members for the following year. I'm passionate about bringing more people into this and participating in our meetings so they can find a home as well. I will try my best to help anyone with any problem or concern they have e-board member or not. Lastly enough campaigning, I wanted to mention some fun stuff! I really enjoy spending time with people and being social. That means I will probably be down with anything if It’s humanly possible to make it, I also speak Spanish fluently if anyone was curious. I love video games but I don’t have much time to play anymore. I took 2 semesters of Salsa with David Olarte so if anyone wants to go dancing my numbers belooow. |
Esther Avila
Outreach Director of STEM Events Mechanical Engineering Junior |
Hello SHPEester! I my name is Esther and I am a Junior studying mechanical engineering. I first joined SHPE my second semester at ASU and it has been one of the greatest decisions I have made in my undergraduate career. When I started in SHPE i was welcomed with open arms!! I have come to love everything that SHPE does for ASU and the local community. SHPE means familla, the community that I can count on and be If you have any questions or would like to talk about SHPE feel free to reach out to me, I would definitely enjoy helping anyone who would like to learn more about this wonderful organization. myself as an academic and as a Latino Interesting fact: I saw my first star wars movie on a trip to RDLC with my SHPE famiila. |
Imar Giovanni
Uriostegui Outreach Director of Junior Chapters Mechanical Engineering Senior |
I wanted to get involved with SHPE because I wanted to give back to my community. That is why I am outreach director of junior chapters. I uphold the idea of making Hispanics in STEM an expectation, not an exception. Something I want people to know about me is that I want to be a physics teacher. |
Virginia Fernandez
Co-Public Relations Biomedical Engineering Senior |
My name is Virginia Fernandez and I'm a senior studying biomedical engineering. I'm the SHPE Public Relations Co-Chair, a position I'm happy to have so that I can be actively involved in the growth of the organization. SHPE has helped me to develop professionally, academically, and most importantly, personally. I want to help other students have the opportunity to experience what SHPE has to offer!
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Ricardo Nieland
Co-Public Relations Psychology Junior |
I was born in Aguascalientes Mexico and moved to Phoenix, Arizona when I was three years old. I’m a first-generation college student that went to a SHPE general body meeting and kept coming back because of how welcoming everyone was (and for the free food). The more I became familiar with SHPE the more I loved it, eventually, I loved it enough to become a Co-Public Relations E-Board member that aspires to make everyone feel welcomed like the way I felt when I joined SHPE. Exercising is part of my daily life, it helps me focus on school and it just makes me feel great. I encourage everyone to exercise, if anyone wants to go to a group fitness class I’m always down to go. |
Diana Zermeno
Academic Director Chemical Engineering Junior |
A fun fact about me is that I took 3 years of Mandarin in high school! I have always enjoyed learning and SHPE is an organization that strengthened that passion. I am involved in SHPE because I love the community and the opportunities it is able to provide others! SHPE's mission is to provide a wonderful college experience for Hispanics involved in STEM and to give back to the community. As the Academic Director, I want to give SHPE members more opportunities in research laboratories and improve academically! I want to make sure that members know it is perfectly okay to ask for help; everyone has struggled in school and we are here to make that journey easier. |
Joseline Valenzuela
Webmaster Biomedical Engineering Junior/Senior |
I am originally from Sinaloa Mexico. I have been interested in science since I can remember, so coming to ASU as a first generation student in an engineering field is a dream come true.
I have a love for my culture, and I was excited to find out about SHPE my freshmen year. I have been involved in the executive board since the January 2015, and I have developed soft skills that cannot be learned in the classroom. I am passionate for the empowerment of females and minorities in STEM fields, so SHPE's vision and mission could not be any more perfect. I am passionate about helping others experience interest in STEM because I realize how important it is. I am a first-generation Latina woman with a passion for learning and solving problems. During my freshmen year, I realized that perhaps I could not do this alone, without the inspiration of other hard-working peers. This is why I decided to join SHPE. SHPE is not just an organization, it has become a motivational space for me. The people I work with on almost a daily basis have become my family away from home. SHPE has opened doors for me that I would not have believed. I have become more confident now that I have been given more responsibilities. I was able to travel across states for the National Conference last fall. It was my first time traveling far away, and like many new experiences, it was frightening, but I was lucky enough to have a group of mentors who helped me get there. The SHPE familia gives me the strength to continue my journey to one of the most difficult degrees. Many people predict that people like me, first-generation Latina women, have a harder time completing an engineering degree at one of the largest universities in the country, but I say this: I have dedication and willingness to work hard and break those barriers, and I know I will have other SHPEsters backing me up. This year I hope to provide the best service to all members. My goal is to make SHPE de ASU known across ASU and be recognized for the efforts of all members as a familia. Please contact me if you have any questions or suggestions! |
Arly Melendrez
Professional Liaison Industrial Engineering Junior 
Jesus Gomez
Professional Liaison Computer Science Junior |
Hello! My name is Arly Gisselle Melendrez. I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. My family is originally from Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico.
I am involved in SHPE because I want to see more of US(Hispanics/Latinos) in the STEM industry! This year I will be the Professional Liaison, meaning I am here to help YOU find the perfect mentor for you. Having a mentor can be very beneficial in your academic, professional, and even personal life. We highly encourage all SHPE members to consider this great opportunity for these reasons. Please reach out to me via email, facebook, text, whichever you prefer if you have any questions! The application for the MentorSHPE program will be rolling out early in the semester, stay tuned. Thanks! Contact info: agmelend@asu.edu, 602-777-1281 |
Francisco Brown-Muñoz
Graduate Ambassador Chemical Engineering Master's student |
My name is Francisco Brown-Muñoz, and I'm a Master's student in Chemical Engineering.
I joined SHPE my freshman year at ASU, right after coming to the United States. Back then, I was not sure what to expect from SHPE, but I joined simply because I wanted to get involved and learn all the skills not taught inside a classroom (and also because I wanted to meet Latino engineering students and I REALLY wanted free food, who am I kidding?). I now firmly believe that this was the best decision I have taken, since I have found a second home and a new family in SHPE de ASU. With the intention of giving back to our community, I became the Outreach Director of STEM Events during the 2014-2015 period, which was a truly rewarding, eye-opening experience. Then, I decided to continue my duties as the Academic Director as a way to give back to SHPE de ASU by enhancing the academic development of my peers. Now, as the Graduate Ambassador, I strive to motivate my fellow Sun Devils into realizing their full potential through research and graduate education as a platform for their success and leadership positions in the future. A little bit about myself: I was born and raised in Hermosillo, Sonora, a dusty, hot city in northwestern México. I enjoy listening to music, going out with friends, watching international geopolitical videos on YouTube,and learning new languages, cultures and random facts (which is why I love Geography Now, Jay Foreman, SNL, and CGP Grey). I speak Spanish, English, and French fluently. I can get around decently in German, and I can mumble something resembling Hindi and Gujarati. Fun facts: I was a French teacher, a debate team member, a yogi, a racquetball player, and biking enthusiast before coming to the States. |
Carrie Robinson
The BEST Advisor |
