William Manuel
William Manuel is currently in his 4th year at the University of Florida majoring in Computer Engineering. In December 2023, he will graduate with minors in Economics and Electrical Engineering. William is involved with multiple professional organizations on campus including the Association for Computer Engineers and Student Investment Club. He is an active member in both and enjoys the balance between the business and technical fields. Over the past few semesters, William has completed multiple projects in his classes that have helped develop his skills as a computer engineer. For his final project in Introduction to Software Engineering, he and his group developed a mobile application to help users recycle and reduce their carbon footprint. The application included a step tracker, a map displaying nearby waste management facilities, and an emissions tracker. He also designed a basic 32-bit MIPs microprocessor using VHDL for the final project in Digital Design. These projects have provided him with valuable experience that he looks forward to furthering on the professional level in the near future. William intends to obtain his license as a Professional Engineer and a masters as a Computer Engineer. In high school, William was a Brian Piccolo Award Finalist, as well as a Miami Dolphins Scholar Athlete. He likes to balance his academics with playing sports, rock climbing, and scuba diving.
Kerstin Martinez
Kerstin Martinez is a 5th year student at the University of Florida pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Spanish, graduating in May 2023. She is an active student at UF involved in various student organizations. She is a team lead at Rem on campus, a student-run club that provides pro-bono consulting to local companies, and is a Chemical Engineering Peer Advisor, assisting and guiding students in the ChemE department. For the past three summers, Kerstin has interned at Chevron, a top 10 global energy company. She interned as a process engineer in the Salt Lake refinery as well as a project engineer in the DJ Basin in Colorado. Some of her highlights from her internships have been designing the first digital tool to track hydrogen usage throughout the SL refinery, and designing and executing a cost effective alternative retrofit transforming an onshore facility from using instrument gas to air (eliminating methane emissions). After graduation, Kerstin hopes to start her career in a company that will challenge her and develop her into the best engineer she can be. Kerstin enjoys traveling, going to the gym, hanging out with friends, and snowboarding. She had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain and do a medical mission trip in Panama. She hopes that in her future she will be able to continue pursuing her passion of traveling and helping communities.
Sara Morales
Sara Morales is currently a senior attending the University of Florida, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She is from West Palm Beach but is Puerto Rican. Sara is a member of a couple professional and student organizations which include Society of Hispanic Engineers and Gator Salsa Club where she is a member on e-board. Her roles include budget management, fundraising, event planning, and teaching classes. In addition to being a member in these organizations, she volunteers at Grace Marketplace working on carpentry related projects for the homeless people in Gainesville. During the past spring, Sara participated in an internship in Gainesville at MakeWork llc. She gained experience using a pyro torch, grinder and tig weld. She participated in a project with the sponsor involving the design and manufacturing of a helium light metal encasing. She manufactured parts using pop rivets, drills, wiring sockets, and aluminum as well as added a power supply and electrical wiring. She enjoyed the design process for this project and hopes to work for a company as a design engineer. Outside of class, Sara enjoys lifting weights and cooking. She is passionate about her culture and sharing her appreciation of dancing salsa and bachata. She hopes to continue these hobbies and work for NASA one day.
Jack Sopotnick
Jack Sopotnick is currently a 5th year student attending the University of Florida, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Jack is currently the president of Gator Robotics, which is a student organization that promotes STEM on campus through competitive design teams and professional events. He is also the captain of the UF Battlebots team and the manufacturing captain of the UF Vex Robotics team. Through his involvement in these organizations, he has been able to expand his knowledge of design and manufacturing by designing and building multiple tournament winning robots. He plans to continue to grow the Battlebots team by designing and building a heavyweight robot that will compete on the Discovery TV show “Battlebots”. He plans to continue his love of robots in his professional life by performing mechanical and component design for a robotics company once he graduates.
Eduardo Yoo
Eduardo Yoo is a Senior at the University of Florida majoring in Computer Science. Eduardo has experience working with multiple groups, during which he was able to maintain quick and effective communication, practice teamwork and put into practice his technical skills. He is looking for a position in the Software Engineering field as he has prior experience within it which has made him interested in this sector. Eduardo understands how the agile methodology functions and is excited about working in an agile environment in the future, where he can actively interact with his peers and learn from his experiences with them. He is very ambitious to learn something new every day and reach his objectives. During his free time, Eduardo spends time playing video games and playing instruments, like the guitar, where he’s currently trying to play like John Mayer. He was born in Brazil, where he spent most of his life and has been living in the US for 4 years.