Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has accepted Fernando Reyes, nominated by MESA, to participate in their prestigious JPL Student Independent Research Intern (SIRI) Program.
Reyes, father of two, will be attending the SIRI program for one semester, unpaid. He is a part of EC’s MESA program, which helps students majoring in math or science and planning to transfer to four-year universities do well academically.
“I am planning to transfer to Cal Poly Pomona or San Luis Obispo,” Reyes said. “I’m going to dual major in computer engineering and electrical engineering.”
Arturo Hernandez, MESA’s director, told Reyes about this internship and helped him with the application process.
“If it weren’t for him I would have never known about this opportunity,” Reyes said. “He was the one who sponsored me and I will forever be grateful to him and MESA.”
The SIRI program is very competitive and requires that students be over the age of 18, they need to have a minimum GPA of 3.00, and must be able to provide 10-15 hours per week regularly for the period of the program.
“It takes some extra hours from my wife and kids, but in the end I know it will pay off,” Reyes said.
Organized to give students real-life work experiences, the SIRI program helps students make career choices and helps them plan for their future in education.
“Networking is key and JPL allows me to network with the right people for future career opportunities,” Reyes said.
Reyes’ family has also been in full support of his career choice and like they say, behind every great man is a great woman.
“My wife was really proud of me,” Reyes said. “She was the one who motivated me to participate in school organizations. She continues to be my cheerleader in my educational aspirations.”
JPL is just one of the many organizations that provide the opportunity for internships for students from the MESA program.
“I always say that the better the grades, the better opportunity for scholarships and internships,” Arturo Hernandez, MESA’s director, said.
With this great reward, Reyes acknowledges that school clubs and participating in school events is vital for college success.
“This just shows how important it is to join organizations while in college,” Reyes said. “I would have never joined if it weren’t for my wife.”
Not just was he chosen for the internship, but Reyes will also work on a special project at JPL. This project will investigate a scalable interconnect networking technology for future spacecraft avionics systems.
“I am part of the project NEXUS, a network test bench which I will help develop, implement and maintain,” Reyes said.
Reyes’ dreams don’t end with completing the JPL internship or graduating with a major. He has decided to see beyond that and set concrete goals for himself.
“I want to receive my masters at the California University Berkley. Maybe one day I could return to El Camino as a professor,” Reyes said. “I would love to give back to the school that helped me realize my potential.”
