Spring 2022 Outstanding Graduate: Juan Rojas

Juan Rojas is a 4th year student graduating as part of the class of 2022 as a first generation college student. Raised in South San Diego, he wanted to advance his community into an environmentally conscious future. Starting his freshman year, Juan pursued the advancing electric vehicle market by working on SDSU’s electric racing team which competes as part of the Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate design series. By his sophomore year, he took the role as president. His leadership can also be seen in his classwork such as his senior capstone project where he serves as the propulsion engineer, working with both the mechanical and electrical teams for an unmanned autonomous surface vessel in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard. Outside of the classroom, this student gives back to his community by becoming a peer mentor for future students. In addition, he takes part in Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society and SDSU’s Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program where he meets and helps other students.

As a graduating senior, Juan plans to continue to lead his electric racing team as vice president to SDSU’s first successful competition this June and foster the next generation of innovative engineers for future years. Even after graduation, he still plans to advise the team and provide insight to grow the team in future years. In his capstone project, his experience with AER has helped him foster cross-disciplinary collaboration to achieve the Coast Guards’ goal of protecting the California coastline with his team’s innovative designs. Lastly, post graduation, Juan will begin his career as an Associate Manufacturing Engineer at Solar Turbines where he will assist in the development of cleaner power production methods.