Candid Snapshot Conversations with Latinx Alumni

As we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month from September 15 - October 15, we reached out to USD's Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering alumni to share their thoughts on how their Latinx identity has influenced or impacted their engineering trajectory. Below are their responses.

Cristina Garcia, ’16 (ME)
Senior Project Engineer for BN Builders 

“As a minority in construction management, my Latinx roots motivate me to be the best engineer I can be. I am able to connect with field workers and tear down language barriers which keeps me grounded.” 

Mauricio Lopez-Hodoyan '93 (EE) and '95 (IMBA)
Vice President of Investor Relations at Qualcomm

“My Latino identity has instilled in me the values of hard work, dedication and perseverance.  These values, and the guidance and education provided by my parents, have provided me with the essential tools required to realize my professional goals.”

Ailsa (Tirado) Greene, ’16 (ISyE)
Ailsa Greene is currently a stay-at-home mother to a beautiful baby girl, Clara Guadalupe. During her daughter's down times, Greene works as a process engineer for Nimbis Designs, a software consulting company.

“One year after graduating college, I was relocated to work in Maryland for six months. When I arrived, I joined a bible study group with several professional Latina women. After the first meeting, they invited me to stay and have dinner with them. Thanks to them, I no longer felt like a "stranger" in a new place. Now I had a community. I was able to dive into my work with a wonderful source of friendship, support and mentorship. I think that in the Latinx culture "family" is very important, and I love how my fellow Latinas in the U.S. have shown me that by opening their homes and their hearts to me!”