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Pitt Strive Scholar Profiles
Cohort 1
Brandon Jennings
Prior Degree:
B.S. Computer Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Department:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
6
Jorge Torres
Prior Degree:
B.S. Engineering Physics, M.S. Electrical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Pittsburgh
Department:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
5
Matthew McCarrol
Prior Degree:
B.S. Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Pittsburgh
Department:
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
3
David Jordan
Prior Degree:
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Louisiana State University
Department:
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
3
Jorge Jimenez
Prior Degree:
B.S. Biomedical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Arizona State University
Department:
Bioengineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
3
Andrea Schilling
Prior Degree:
M.S. Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Department:
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
3
Cohort 2
Shaniel Brown
Prior Degree:
M.S. Biomedical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Connecticut
Department:
Bioengineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
2
Dulce Mariscal
Prior Degree:
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Turabo
Department:
Bioengineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
2
Sene Polamalu
Prior Degree:
B.S. Applied Mathematics
Undergraduate Institution:
Millersville University
Department:
Bioengineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
2
Connor Wiegand
Prior Degree:
B.S. Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Ohio State University
Department:
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
2
Collins Dawson
Prior Degree:
M.S. Electrical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Pittsburgh
Department:
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Cohort 3
Sarah Marie Knop
Prior Degree:
B.S. Physics
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Department:
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
1
Alexander Michael Maldonado
Prior Degree:
B.S. Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Western Michigan University
Department:
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
1
Edmund Sam-Gyandoh
Prior Degree:
B.S. Electrical Engineering, M.B.A.
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Maryland University College
Department:
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
1.5
Joanna Rivero
Prior Degree:
B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Florida International / University of Pittsburgh
Department:
Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Year in the Program:
1
Cohort 4
Marcela Gonzalez-Rubio
Prior Degree:
B.S. Biomedical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
Escuela Colombiana de Ingeniería Julio Garavito and Universidad del Rosario
Graduate Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Gelsy Torres
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Interesting things about you:
Even though it does not look like it I was born and raised in Colombia and I have only been living in USA for the past couple of years. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and on my free time I like to read, dance, and watch and play soccer.
Dekwuan Stokes
Prior Degree:
B.S. Electrical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Pittsburgh
Graduate Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Robert Kerestes
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Interesting things about you:
I like to play basketball, collect various shoes, travel and I am color blind
Isaiah Spencer-Williams
Prior Degree:
B.S. Civil Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Pittsburgh
Graduate Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Sarah Haig
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Interesting things about you:
I was the first Undergraduate Fellow for the Pitt EXCEL Program, in which I aided Ms. Yvette Moore in organizing and coordinating programs, events, and initiatives for the Pitt EXCEL student body. Within NSBE, I served the chapter as President last year and led the chapter to its nomination for National Medium Chapter of the Year. Outside of engineering, my hobbies include being involved with the arts, mainly poetry and spoken word performance. I have authored and am pursuing publication of my first collection of poems. Additionally, my poem Push was awarded Crowd Favorite and First Place overall in the Art of Technical Communication at NSBE's Fall Regional Conference in 2017. Furthermore, I have co-founded The I.N.N.A.T.E. Project, a project dedicated to providing a space in which community members can network with artists, challenge normalcy, and spark impactful conversations using natural and developed artistic abilities.
Jessica Moriah Vaden
Prior Degree:
B.S. Chemical Engineering
Undergraduate Institution:
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Graduate Faculty Mentor:
Dr. Melissa Bilec
Affiliation:
PhD Student
Interesting things about you:
I have been dancing for 20 years and consider it to be my first true love. I also am a huge Disney fan and in addition to knowing a lot of Disney facts, I hope to work there one day as an Imagineer!