Captivated Thinking Biographies for Fall 2016

Christopher Frison – Project Manager

Christopher Frison is a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student closing in on his Bachelor’s Degree. Frison is a unique individual with extensive training and experience with leadership roles accrued from positions as an Ambassador, Vice President, Supervising Host, Program Director and more within various programs and organizations. He is a self-driven who believes that one of the primary characteristics that is essential to being a true engineer is efficiency, and he saw this to be a great opportunity to display his leadership skills to aid an efficient process. Frison enjoys deep conversations that can bring to light the “brighter” things in life.

Austin Thomas - Assistant Project Manager

Austin Thomas is a second-year student at UC Merced studying Mechanical Engineering. When he is not busy being a full-time student, Thomas spends his time working as a mechanic/ auto restorer for vintage European cars and dirt-oval sprint cars. He hopes to focus his studies on electronics and circuit theory-related applications and hopes to learn more especially about the field of mechatronics. His studies currently relate little to the tasks set in Captivated Thinking, but he hopes to learn more about data collection and analysis while working in the team. He enjoys listening to and making music and running when not studying.

Gonpreet Khera – Communication Officer

Gonpreet Khera is a first year, computer science and engineering major. Khera is the Communications Officer for the Captivated Thinking team. She chose to work on this project because it provided her an opportunity, to help people, who are displaced in society, make a place for themselves. Khera loves and is satisfied with helping people in meaningful ways. She has lived in many different places, which helps her keep her mind open to different ideas. She is the youngest in her graduating class, and works just as hard as everybody around her. She surrounds herself with supportive and encouraging people with positive vibes.

Veronica Briones – Intellectual Property Officer

Veronica Briones is a second year Computer Science and Engineering student at UC Merced. Briones is the Intellectual Property Officer in Captivated Thinking, and she chose this team because it would allow her to work in a team as well as help her improve skills necessary to succeed in computer science. Her favorite subject is Calculus, but she also enjoys learning new languages. Apart from academic preferences, Briones enjoys creating digital art as a hobby and working with animals.

Esteban Perez– Procurement and Finance Officer

Linda Erazo – Team Leader

Linda Erazo is a 2nd year student and her major is environmental engineering. She chose the Captivated Thinking team because it provides high opportunities to develop her knowledge towards efficient program-making methods that businesses in the Tuolumne County can use to succeed and receive more money. She appreciates how this is an idea that provides a program so that TCEDA can easily obtain data for reports and become more reliable for businesses. She has a passion for helping others and her biggest dream is to travel and live in third-world countries and assure that majority of the population has clean water to drink, uncontaminated air to breathe, and healthy soil to harvest. She has experience with leadership positions such as being assistant project manager her freshman year for the Engineers for a Sustainable World Team.

Jahzel Roman-Torres – Team Leader

Jahzel Roman-Torres is a first year Mechanical Engineering student. Roman-Torres is a Team Leader of the Engineering Service Learning team, Captivated Thinking. She chose it because, she thought that it would be interesting to work side-by-side incarcerated individuals. As well as an amazing experience. Roman-Torres is very fond of her dogs and misses them tremendously while away from home. To pass time and avoid thinking of her dogs, she listens to a wide-variety of music.

Ricardo Vasquez – Team Member

Ricardo Vasquez is a group member for the Engineering Service Learning Team Captivated Thinking. As a third year Mechanical Engineering undergrad, he chooses to take Engineering Service Learning for his second semester, because he enjoys the opportunity to be part of a team that has an impact on the school campus and his community. Academically, he enjoys to work on difficult math problems to challenge himself, he hopes that his math skills will help him expand his education. On his free time, he likes to restore old vehicles and making them run again. Vasquez hopes for one day be able to travel around the world.

Christian Vernikoff – Team Member

Christian Vernikoff is a second year Computer Science student at UC Merced. Vernikoff is a team member of Captivated Thinking. He chose this team because it would allow him to work together in a team and allow for the improvement of his skills in computer science and teamwork. Academically Vernikoff enjoys all areas of math, but specifically calculus. He loves playing tennis and played on the varsity team in his high school in the Bay-Area. Outside of academics, Vernikoff enjoys hiking, fishing and playing Civilization.

Makda Yohannes – Team Member

Makda Yohannes is a 5th year Business Management student with a unique interest in entrepreneurship and innovation. Yohannes chose to be a part of this team because she wanted to expand her hands-on skill sets and actually do something that could potentially make a real difference. Previously, she has served on several executive boards in several different clubs and organizations on campus such as African Students Union and Business Society. Yohannes has also shown outstanding leadership and performance at her position within the Center of Career & Professional Advancement and currently at the Office of Business Development as a Market Research Intern. Outside of work and school she thoroughly enjoys wedding/event planning, traveling, and going on adrenaline rushing adventures.

Jonathan Sam – Team Member

Jonathan Sam is a fourth year student pursuing his Bachelors of Science in Earth Systems Science. He is a Team Member for the Engineering Service Learning Team Captivated Thinking. Sam plans to use his experience from working with the City of Pacifica to provide the team with the communication and planning skills. He hopes to take the experiences he learns here and improve other communities he is involved in. Sam enjoys most professional sports, mainly Bay Area sports teams.