Switch your major to engineering? Alberto Perez, Jr. says, 'yes!'

Priscilla Leon

Alberto Perez, Jr, at the Space Needle in SeattleStarting college is exciting and frightening at the same time, especially if you’re the first in your family to attend. You are not really sure of what to expect or know exactly what college has in store for you.

San Diego State University (SDSU) offers several summer programs for incoming freshmen, especially for first generation and minority students. The programs help incoming freshmen get an idea of what college is like, such as taking a college course, living in the dorms and meeting new people.

Last summer, Alberto Perez Jr. participated in the Research Academy Jr., a program that introduces sensorimotor neural engineering and research methods. Alberto was so intrigued by the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering presentation that he changed his major from physics to mechanical engineering.

Alberto took some time recently to discuss how the Research Academy Jr. and CSNE changed his career choice. He also described his experience to date being part of the CSNE. An edited transcript is below.

Q: What made you choose SDSU?

A: SDSU and California State Polytechnic University were my two choices, but what made me choose SDSU was the atmosphere on campus and the great opportunity of being accepted in the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). On Explore SDSU Day, I met Dr. Reginald Blaylock, vice president for Student Affairs, and he said that the EOP was one of the top programs in the country. He inspired me to choose SDSU.

Q: What was your major when you applied to SDSU, and what made you decide to change it?

A: When I applied to SDSU, my major was physics. What made me change from physics to mechanical engineering was the presentation of CSNE Research in the Research Academy Jr. Prosthetics was mentioned in the presentation, and that made me change my whole view of what I really wanted to do in my life.  What also made me change my major was one of my close friends in the EOP Summer Bridge Program has a prosthetic leg and that made me even more eager to help him and others that are in a similar situation to help improve their lives.

Q: After you were introduced to CSNE, what intrigued you to join the center?

A: The mission of what CSNE is trying to accomplish sparked my interest in being part of this research. I wanted to join CSNE for the experience with graduate students, faculty and staff from SDSU, MIT and UW. The idea of uniting each other’s knowledge to improve human lives and make lives easier is what drives me to be part of this research. 

Q: What is like to work in Dr. Sam Kassegne’s lab?

A: Being part of the lab with Dr. Kassegne is an amazing experience, because I get to see and be involved in the graduate students’ research projects. Dr. Kassegne has an incredible amount of energy and I am looking forward to training with graduate students starting this month.

Q: This past November, you joined us for the CSNE Retreat, how was that experience?

A: Being part of the retreat was an incredible opportunity for me, because not only was it my first time flying but it was also my first time traveling out of state. Seeing presentations about the research that I am a part of made me really appreciate the experience. The SDSU, MIT, and UW faculty, staff and students were kind and very knowledgeable about their fields and that inspires me to work really hard at my research. I am just a sophomore, but I really want to help the center reach their goals.