Name: Luis Daniel Campos Leon
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Classification: Senior
Graduation date: Spring 2023
Hometown: Maturín, Venezuela
Extracurricular activities: “Right now, I am the president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers [at UTRGV]. It is a society that is in charge of helping students … mostly for their academic merit and to include their academic merit in their job search. … We also bring in other companies [from] outside, since we are a Hispanic-[serving] institution. Many companies are interested in coming to our school and talking with our students to see the talent we have here, which we have a lot, thank God. I am also part of [Engineering Student Advisory Council], it is like the student group that is in charge of all the engineering organizations and participates a lot in the community.”
What are the differences between your hometown and the United States? “Whenever they ask me where I am from, I identify a bit from everywhere because, well, I lived in Venezuela, I lived in Mexico and I have lived here for a long time. … There are many things that are different, like food. … There is not much Venezuelan food here. … What I like the most are the hallacas and also the arepas.… Many people compare [arepas] to gorditas but they are very different, and hallacas are like Veracruz tamales but they are also very different [in] the way they are prepared and the way they taste.”
What is on your bucket list? “I would really like that while I’m working, [I can] explore, like, other countries and be able to go back to my home country and explore the parts that I didn’t get to see as a kid.”
Who is your role model? “I have had many role models in the last years. I have been surrounded by wonderful people but the one that has affected me the most has been my grandfather and, especially, my father. My dad also made a difficult decision to come to another country without knowing anyone, to start a new life, and that has helped me a lot. He has given me a lot of strength to get ahead for all the sacrifices he has made.”
Why did you choose the major you are in? “As a child, I really liked buying cars and so on, but what was peculiar was that I loved taking them apart. I loved editing every detail of the cars and, sometimes, I would change [them] and put other things from other cars. … So, I chose my major because it is something that I see myself designing parts of an engine or doing that kind of thing for systems like that. ”
What movies or shows do you like? “I really like ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ I started watching it recently, and it makes me laugh because several of the things they talk about in that program are seen in engineering. … I also like ‘Friends’ a lot. I’ve seen it 100 times. I think I watch it to sleep and I watch it while I do homework and also [watch] ‘How I Met Your Mother.’”
What advice would you give other international students? “That it’s going to be a bit difficult because you are regularly going to have to change countries or you are going to come to a totally unknown environment but that the rewards are infinite. … Have perseverance and also dedication. That it’s going to be very worth it when they are done.”
–Compiled by Fatima Gamez Lopez
