Leah Harris
Leah Harris is a fourth-year mechanical engineering undergraduate student at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Since coming to the University of Florida, Leah has been an active member in several organizations, Dream Team Engineering (DTE), and Engineering Ambassadors. As a captain in DTE, Leah leads a team of engineers to design physical models of surgeries for surgical residents at UF Health to practice on. Her role includes leading team meetings and communicating with the organization’s contacts at UF Health to ensure that all progress made aligns with the vision of the physicians these models are intended for. This summer, Leah worked at Procter and Gamble’s South Boston site as a manufacturing intern. Here, she worked as the interface between equipment owners on the production floor, and design engineers in the office. In this fast paced and people-oriented environment, Leah’s ability to problem solve with the site’s critical business needs in mind was tested daily. She came out of the experience with newfound confidence as well as a better idea of what it means to be a mechanical engineer in industry. Leah will be returning to P&G fulltime next summer.
Samantha Kirby
Samantha Kirby is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student with minors in biomechanics and mathematics. Samantha is a member of various student organizations as well as actively involved in research. She is currently the co-chair of the service committee for Engineering Ambassadors working with her committee to plan service events in Gainesville for the organization to participate in as well as being liaisons for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Samantha is a member of Dream Team Engineering working on the Berlin Heart team to make models of the Berlin Heart to show the pediatric patients what is happening and find ways to teach them more about the heart but make it fun and interactive. This summer, Samantha increased her involved with the Gary J. Miller Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory as well as interned with Glomatek. As a manufacturing intern, she worked in final assembly to make sure products were made correctly and functioned as they should. Working in the research lab has allowed her the opportunity to develop her design skills using SolidWorks, MATLAB skills and use her minors in order to apply it to robotic research. She loved the work that she did over the summer with her research that she plans to pursue graduate school upon graduating.
Angelique Vela
Angelique is a 4th year electrical engineering student at the University of Florida. She is currently in the combined degree program, simultaneously pursuing both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. She is also an active researcher in the field of bioelectricity, named on one research article submitted for publication, and presently writing another research article as the leading author. Over her years at the University of Florida, Angelique has consistently ventured outside her comfort zone with the goal of enriching her academic experience. One instance of her enterprising disposition is when she undertook an internship at an Intellectual Property law firm. Despite not knowing anything about the patent-writing process initially, she quickly learned as much as she could by reading patents, observing the firm’s discussions with inventors, and receiving mentorship from the firm’s partner. By the end of her internship, she had already become a key writer of technological patents for eminent companies and universities.
Fun fact: Angelique enrolled in IPPD in her freshman year and attended the first day of class, not knowing it was a design capstone course.
Julian Berrio
Julian Berrio is currently a 4th year engineering student majoring in Computer Science. He will graduate in May of 2021 with a minor in Innovation from Innovation Academy at the University of Florida. He has participated in five hackathons representing the University of Florida resulting in four different awards including Best Overall 2nd place and Best Hardware. His ambition for learning has led him to learning skills outside of his major such as electrical and mechanical experience.
He is currently employed at Freedom Boat Club of Tampa Bay where he functions as the Lead Software Developer designing accounting and member management systems. Julian’s current project is creating new accounting software to reduce transactional fees by an estimated 0.7 million dollars. This opportunity has allowed him to refine his managerial skills as he works on interdepartmental projects and delegates work. Additionally, he hosts weekly sprints and demo meetings for management feedback.
Oriana Fortune
Oriana Fortune is currently a 5th year at the University of Florida, pursuing her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. In May 2021, she will graduate with her bachelor’s degree and her Engineering Innovation Certificate from the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Oriana is involved in a variety of student organizations on campus. Her involvement includes the Engineering Ambassadors, First Year Engineering Peer Advising, the Panhellenic Council, and the Student Conduct Committee. Within Engineering Ambassadors, Oriana was the Special Events Chair where she planned and organized event logistics and worked alongside her committee to arrange successful events. Within the Panhellenic Council, Oriana served on the 2021 Recruitment Executive board as the Operations Pi Chi. Her roles included working with the City of Gainesville to gather permits, serving as the liaison between the local police departments and the Panhellenic Council, and planning all the behind-the-scenes logistics of recruitment such as buses, security, and traffic patterns. Within the last few semesters, Oriana has completed Mechanical Engineering internships and co-ops with Tesla, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, and NextEra Energy. Each of her internships provided her with hands on experience where she was able to expose herself to various disciplines within Mechanical Engineering such as design, manufacturing, rapid prototyping, design for manufacturing, 3D modeling, project management, and controls and process engineering. Upon graduation, Oriana is excited to enter the workforce and to pursue her graduate degree.
Brandon Liss
Brandon Liss is a 4th year undergraduate student in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering with a minor in engineering innovation. He is extremely passionate about his discipline and has extensive experience with 3D CAD, manufacturing and design, and teamwork. His expected graduation is in the Spring of 2022.
This past summer he worked with Jacobs engineering as a mechanical engineering intern where he focused on water and wastewater engineering and design. He was exposed to new 3D modeling software, complex mechanical and electrical systems, client, manufacturer, and distributor outreach, and multidisciplinary teams. This position also introduced real-world deadlines which drastically improved his time management skills. The internship solidified his passion for mechanical engineering, and he is excited to continue his growth within the discipline.
Vincent Natiello
Vincent Natiello is a fifth year Electrical Engineering major specializing in digital design and microprocessor applications. Beyond this, he will graduate with a minor in Business Administration this upcoming Spring.
During the past two summers, Vincent worked as an Undergraduate Peer Instructor for the Digital Logic and Computer Systems course and plans on continuing to teach until he graduates. This job position has helped him hone his own knowledge of digital logic concepts and has greatly improved his ability to debug problems that arise, both his own and those of his students.
He has also been heavily involved with the University of Florida’s Engineering Ambassadors, where he’s been proud to represent the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. Throughout the numerous leadership positions he’s held, including on the organization’s executive board, Vincent has been able to act as a leader among his peers. On top of this, he has furthered his professional development as a member of the Epsilon Lambda Chi honor society for leaders within the College of Engineering.
