Miguel Tamayo, a computer engineering graduate, was one of the 65,800 students who graduated from the University of California this spring. He is also a first-generation college graduate, one of 27,000 in the same position this year, each bringing a unique perspective to their accomplishments.
Originally from Medellín, Colombia, Tamayo moved to the United States with his mother and brother just before he turned 12. While learning English was initially challenging, he used it as an opportunity to showcase his story and where he came from.
From then on, he took pride in his accent and turned it into an asset. This ability to turn negative situations into positive outcomes has helped him achieve academic and career success.
Tamayo’s fascination with mechanical and electronic devices began at an early age, leading his family to nickname him “Destroyer” for his habit of taking things apart to understand how they worked. Although putting them back together wasn’t always successful, he now enjoys the satisfaction of being able to fix things as an engineer.
His passion for coding and technology began while he was a student at a high school in South Central Los Angeles. He participated in Upward Bound, which was his first exposure to tech classes and coding.
He then became a co-captain of his school’s robotics team and spent countless hours building bots. After his older brother, Juan, started studying computer engineering at San Jose State University, Tamayo became more interested in the field and started researching the topics his brother was studying.
An inspirational moment for Tamayo was when a science teacher showed his class a video on SpaceX, which sparked his interest in rockets.
His family encouraged him to follow his passion, and he applied to UC Santa Cruz, where he later won a competitive summer internship at The Aerospace Corporation. This was a pivotal moment for him, and he has continued to intern there every summer. He will start a staff role with the company after graduation.
Tamayo credits his success to two programs for first-gen and low-income students at UC Santa Cruz, EOP and MESA. Both programs provided him with support and a sense of community, which inspired him to think about how he could help other disadvantaged students.
After starting his new job as a controls engineer with a Southern California aerospace firm, he hopes to return to low-income areas and set up after-school programs to introduce students to STEM and help them realize their potential.
So cool to see @ucsc MESA student Miguel Tamayo featured as a UC first gen graduate!https://t.co/R8Dg2kt5p2
— California MESA (@MESASTEM) June 15, 2023
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