LOFT Spotlight- Sergio Gonzales

Los Angeles, CA– Sergio Gonzalez is a 2006 Hispanic Heritage Youth Awardee Gold Medallion recipient for Academic Excellence in the Chicago region. The determination to create an impact in the Latino community of Chicago led Sergio to his academic excellence that saw him not only become a Youth Awardee, but also led him to receive an acceptance letter from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne where he went on to study Mechanical Engineering. His strong passion for advancing the well-being of his community through sustainable technology, led Sergio to join the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) while pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree.

In 2010 Sergio’s dream to become a Mechanical Engineer took a huge leap forward when he was able to obtain his B.A. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne. Soon after receiving his B.A., Sergio was able to obtain his Professional Engineer’s license from the state of Illinois which he considers to be his biggest accomplishment as he feels that, “professionally, I am proud to have my Professional Engineer’s license in the state of Illinois and personally, I am proud to be involved in my community and give hope to Latino students who think they cannot attend college.” For that reason, Sergio is involved in the annual Latino Summit event which takes place at Harper College. The event allows minority high school freshmen from several high schools the access to Latino professionals as keynote speakers and Latino college students as panelists, which the main goal is to demonstrate to these college bound Latinos that attending college is not only possible but a reality.

Sergio is currently a Mechanical Engineer Consultant in the building construction industry, specifically he is currently employed with KJWW an International engineering consultant firm that specializes in healthcare, higher education, commercial, government and industrial buildings. Although his determination to create an impact in his community has seen Sergio become a Mechanical Engineer like he dreamed of, he is well aware of the struggles that come with pursuing such career in the Latino community. When asked what advice he would give to Latino leaders pursuing a Mechanical Engineering career he said, “I would recommend that they challenge themselves with complicated projects and to become involved in professional organizations. Doing both of these will help them be the next generation of leaders in the industry.”