Commencement Spotlight: Manuel Lechuga, College of Engineering
Manuel Lechuga
Manuel Lechuga
Share this Story(Dec. 10, 2014) -- Meet Manuel Lechuga. He knew when he was in high school in San Luis Potosi, Mexico that he wanted to study engineering. It was just a matter of narrowing it down to the right area.
Lechuga determined that he should become familiar with the range of fields in mechanical engineering before settling on a career choice. He learned about the automotive industry by watching Formula One racing and researching how engineering is involved in the field. During summer 2012, he served in a plant maintenance internship at an H-E-B manufacturing facility, an opportunity that let him apply technical information he learned at UTSA.
For his senior project, he is delving into medical applications of the field by designing and building a prosthetic foot made of longer-lasting materials and technologies. He also is learning all he can from a winning team that participated in one of the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE) tech competitions. They designed a prosthetic cooling system that makes the device more comfortable to use on one's leg.
He learned that the oil and gas industry will have many career opportunities in exploration and production and now plans to look for a job in this field.
Financial problems delayed his senior year, but with the support of his family, friends and UTSA financial aid, Lechuga was able to return to finish his degree this year.
He is impressed with how much the university is expanding research opportunities for students and bringing advanced equipment into its laboratories.
"And, it is a really cool thing that UTSA has so many faculty members from prestigious institutions across the nation and around the world, who are sharing their expertise and knowledge," said Lechuga.
Besides the top-tier research opportunities for undergraduates at UTSA, Lechuga has found several student organizations, inside and outside engineering, to be very helpful in connecting him with university life and achieving his academic goals. He was chapter president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) last year and remains active in that group and the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists (MAES).
"I am thankful to be here at UTSA, and I am not taking my education for granted," said Lechuga. "I want to acknowledge my parents, family and friends who have been so supportive. I wouldn't be here without them."
------------------------------
Read about graduates from all of the UTSA colleges at the Commencement 2014 website.
Do you know a fascinating UTSA student who is planning to graduate in May 2015? Share that story with us at news@utsa.edu.
Connect online with UTSA on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Events
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome
