E+ CLASS OF 2019 GRADUATION SPEAKER

My Undergraduate experience was no short of a roller coaster. After finding a home within the Engineering Plus community I was honored to be asked to be the speaker at our department graduation ceremony. Below are a few take-away's from that special day.

What an Honor...

My name is Beatriz Zepeda-Almazan an E+ graduate with an emphasis in Mechanical Engineering and a concentration in Engineering Management.

I am honored to be addressing you as a representative of the accomplished class of 2019 sitting before you today. A unique class full of some of the most ambitious and well-rounded individuals this campus has come to know. Our program is small but mighty, has managed to forge a fundamental unity in the understanding that our e-plus students are pioneers in boasting diversity and enlightenment over what it means to be an engineer today. We are people of passion and ambition, devotion and loyalty to our craft with just a hint of insanity.

Keep Going...

5 years ago I stepped foot on this campus naive of all the challenges, opportunities and adventures that my journey had awaiting. I was unaware that I would learn the conservative tolerances of designing a single point threaded steel pipe, that I would learn the fundamentals of material failures, but more importantly that I would learn what it is to experience and grow from the challenges of life and what follows adventure. 5 years ago, I did not fully understand the true value of Health and friendship, family, and bravery. After all how can you know what you do not know.

However, I learned. As did we all. We were not given an equation or cheat sheet with the codes and traveled paths to endure this experience without scratches or scars. There was no solved mathematical proof that showed the path of least resistance from point A to point B. But without this information - how then, can you make sense of the unexpected and prepare for the unknown? I used the only way I knew how, by relating my experiences to engineering concepts such as the Engineering design loop. For those not aware, the Engineering Design Loop is a tried and true process used in designing new products and iterating on the existing. It starts by Identifying a need, researching the problem, brainstorming potential solutions, executing said solutions, analyzing the outcome, and repeat. The idea that most things do not work or are not perfect the first time around could not better describe my experience here at CU. In times where I failed, I redesigned my solution, and in times of not knowing – I researched. I cannot say for certain but my findings and research point to the conclusion that this is life the real world that we will reenter after today. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we have great ideas, but most often, it takes time and perseverance.

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