Engineering Ambassadors
In response to feedback from our partners, we established an Engineering Ambassadors program in August 2022. Our Engineering Ambassadors program consists of Berkeley undergraduate students that support K-12 outreach through a variety of activities, including campus tours, presentations, career panels, and school visits. As tangible proof of their value, our ambassadors are hired as student assistants and paid a competitive wage.
Our ambassador program is part of the Engineering Ambassadors Network, led by Penn State. The Engineering Ambassadors Network (EAN) is an alliance of universities that aims to train a cohort of diverse and technically skilled engineering undergraduates on how to excite K-12 students about engineering. Since 2010, EAN has reached more than 45,000 K-12 students. EAN also provides professional development training for the ambassadors themselves – important soft skills that students can apply in their future careers.
Ambassador activities
Our school and community partners guide and inform our ambassadors’ activities. We also encourage our ambassadors to suggest activities. Example activities are listed below:
- Facilitating hands-on activities or leading presentations as part of a class or after-school program in local K-12 schools
- Supporting Berkeley Engineering departments and student organizations with marketing their K-12 programs
- Conducting hands-on activities during community festivals or K-12 school events
- Leading tours of Berkeley Engineering’s buildings
- Participating in student panels
- Creating social media posts to share Berkeley Engineering students’ experiences
- Supporting Berkeley Engineering’s K-12 Outreach Team with planning, preparing for events, and our overall activities
Meet our ambassadors
We recruited ambassadors who are passionate about diversifying engineering, and we are thrilled with our first cohort of ambassadors. In future years we expect to move experienced students into leadership positions, making it possible to streamline training and grow our ambassador team.
Jasmine Chan
My name is Jasmine (she/her), I’m from Los Angeles, and I am a junior majoring in chemical engineering and minoring in data science. I decided to major in chemE because I enjoyed my chem, math, and physics classes and engineering club in high school. I thought it would be cool to apply these concepts to create innovations and solve problems. Similarly, I discovered data science at Berkeley, and I decided to add it as a minor because I liked the concept of cleaning and organizing data as well as the statistical aspects. Something that students may want to know about me is that I have a variety of work experience on campus, including positions as a tutor, student library employee, reader, and of course, an engineering ambassador. From these jobs, I’ve gained several skills, and I’d be happy to provide any insight or advice for students who may be interested in working. One common misconception about engineering is that it only involves math and science. This is definitely not the case, as engineering requires creative thinking and incorporates a multitude of other subjects and skills.
Justin Chen
My name is Justin (he/him/his), I’m from Yorba Linda, CA, and I’m a senior majoring in Computer Science and Data Science. When I was younger, I loved playing video games. I dreamed of being a game developer to make my own little games, so I took programming classes in high school and made copies of games like tic-tac-toe, flappy bird, and space invaders. These experiences led me to my Computer Science and Data Science majors at Berkeley, where I can continue programming to make small games and projects. Outside of class, I love to play music and cook! I was the typical orchestra kid when I was younger and played violin, but now I switched over to guitar. I love experimenting with different recipes and making some interesting concoctions of stews and baked goods.
Engineers make a world of difference, and engineering is a profession for everyone! People tend to think engineering is hard and gatekept by math and science, but there are so many different creative, design, and teamwork elements needed to make a project work.
Arihant Choudhary
Hi! My name is Arihant Choudhary (he/him/his). I’m a sophomore from Kolkata, India studying CS and Data Science. I enjoy working on projects that help create meaningful impact and foster learning and academic growth. I also really like puzzle-solving and playing games. I like talking about failure and want to help de-stigmatize the embarrassment around talking about failing (especially in a highly competitive environment like college and in fields like engineering). I’m always excited to talk to and meet new people!
Prisha Davda
Hi! My name is Prisha (she/her/hers), and I’m a junior majoring in chemical engineering. I’m from Fremont, CA. I chose chemical engineering because of my interest in clean energy and because I recognized my love for innovation when I did things like making a device out of cardboard to take spiders out of the house.
As part of a club called ChemE car, I’m currently leading a year-long project where we’re building and optimizing a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) where the only byproduct of the reaction is water, making it a great source of clean energy. Thinking about how my research can lead to discoveries that can help tackle the climate crisis cements my passion for the project. ChemE car has given me many opportunities to be resourceful, to troubleshoot with a team, and to freely come up with my own experiments and test them in the lab. Being an engineer is so fulfilling when you find purpose and let your ideas be limitless but execute them resourcefully.
Alejandro Hernandez
Hello! I am Alejandro Hernandez (he/him), but you can call me Alex. I grew up in the Central Valley of California, born in Delano and raised in Earlimart. I am currently in my second year here at UC Berkeley with Senior standing, majoring in Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences. Since I grew up in a very rural area of California, I was never really exposed to the wonders of engineering before college. I had no idea what career I wanted to pursue in life and no clue what I was getting myself into! The only thing that I knew was this: I wanted to change the world.
Over the years, I became very fond of the Internet of Things, the electrical and computational devices that interconnect us all. That’s how I blindly decided that electrical engineering was the career path I wanted, but I want you all to know that the takeaway here isn’t to have your life completely figured out before college. The lesson is that to develop a passion for something you have to be willing to learn more about it; it isn’t always love at first sight.
Leah Mealey
My name is Leah Mealey (she/her), and I am a fourth-year student at UC Berkeley studying Civil Engineering and Data Science with a minor in German. My hometown is Austin, Texas. Back in high school, I applied to the Civil Engineering department after a formative summer doing trail work with Americorps. Working on trails helped me realize how much I enjoy the relationship between people and the environment and learning about the ways we alter it. I added data science as a major during my junior year because I’m interested in being able to uncover the stories that data can tell, and I think data is becoming increasingly important in everyday life. Aside from my studies, I am passionate about humanitarian work. I’ve been involved with Cal’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity for all four years of college. I cherish that I’ve been able to learn about and serve our neighboring communities through this experience.
Nadeen Mohamed
Hi! I am Nadeen Mohamed (she/her), and I am from Sacramento, CA. I am a first-year majoring in Civil Engineering and minoring in Spanish. Growing up in Dubai, I had the opportunity to see one of the most impressive cities in the world come to life. Engineering became a unifying force for me, bringing people from all walks of life together in the city. Over time, I recognized that Civil Engineering would be a fulfilling path for me. Besides coursework, I enjoy learning about different cultures and languages. Currently, my focus is on Spanish, but I plan on continuing my efforts to expand my cultural education in the future. I am a firm believer that the first step to bridging animosity between people is through education and empathy.