Merced County Rescue Mission Biographies for Spring 2017

Sofia Pino is a second year Human Biology student. Pino is the project manager of the Engineering Service Learning Team, Merced County Rescue Mission. She chose to join this project because of her interests in the health care and the desire to help the homeless community in Merced County. Academically, Sofia is interested in biotechnology and hopes to join a master’s program in the subject after gaining her B.S. in Biology. Pino has three certifications in biotechnology and is published in the NCBI database for her work in bioinformatics with Rutgers’s University and their study of Duckweed DNA.

Bertha Aguilar is a first year student who is currently listed as undeclared in the School of Engineering, but plans to obtain her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Aguilar is a member of the Merced County Rescue Mission, an Engineering Service Learning team. Aguilar is a young, family-oriented Latina who enjoys helping others in any way. She enjoys buying meals for those in need. She hopes to apply skills and concepts she learns about in her future years of life.

Hector Alfaro Jr is a first-year student pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering. Hector is a Team Leader for the Merced County Rescue Mission, an Engineering Service Learning team. It is also his first semester in Engineering Service Learning. By having hands-on experience, Hector plans on taking what he will learn for future Service Learning teams. He enjoys being around friends, family, and helping others.

Maria Catherine Villarosa is a second year Environmental Engineering student. She was involved in clubs such as California Scholarship Federation (CSF), Filipino Club, and was president of her school’s Ecology Club. In high school, taking AP Environmental Science is what fueled her interest in environmental engineering, and she wants to focus and learn more about sustainability and renewable energy as she continues her studies. She chose the Team Leader position because she hopes to gain some experience in leading projects and being able to successfully give a presentation to her peers. In her spare time, Maria Catherine likes to watch Korean dramas, penny board, and play Overwatch. 

Mirella Gutierrez is a fourth year undergraduate student pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Earth Systems Science. Gutierrez is the Communications Officer for the Engineering Service Learning team Merced Rescue Mission. She is using her experiences in completing capstones projects for the Yosemite Leadership Program’s UC Merced cohort and Summer Internship to help further the team’s progress. She is very passionate about creating social change and empowering youth to be leaders in their community. Gutierrez believes that projects such as the Merced Rescue Mission are a great way for UC Merced students to connect with and improve the Merced community.

Carlos Vazquez is a second year transfer student pursuing his Bachelors of Science in Bioengineering. He is the intellectual property manager for the Engineering Service Learning team, MCRM (Merced County Rescue Mission). Vazquez is an officer in Biomedical Engineering Society and hopes to apply his leadership skills on the Hope Respite project. Vazquez has a strong passion for biomedical devices/software and hopes to have a career in the Biosensor industry after graduation. Through hands-on experience, he hopes to gain valuable skills from working on the Hope Respite project. Vazquez enjoys going tubing and hiking with friends.

Dana Morales is a fourth year pursing her Bachelors of Science in Developmental Biology and Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. She holds the position Procurement & Financial Officer for the Engineering Service Learning(ESL) team, Merced County Rescue Mission. Morales has been working in Professor Main’s Family Development Lab and is going to work with Professor Golash-Boza with a previous ESL project, Merit Partners. She seeks to contribute to Merced and thus chose this project because it would give her the opportunity to impact the local community. Beyond academics, she is interested in basketball and music.

Marina Medina is a fourth year mechanical engineering student at UC Merced. For the Spring of 2017Medina is a member of the sub team, HIPAA, of the Engineering Service Learning team, Merced County Rescue Mission Team. Medina thought this team was a perfect fit for her because she has always tried to help others in need. Medina is an advocate for women pursuing a S.T.E.M. field career and so she believes that her involvement in designing an encrypted file system for the Merced County Rescue Mission will encourage women to continue pursuing their goals. Besides her involvement on campus, she also enjoys hiking with her dog given free time.

Moris Ventura Melendez is a first-year Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Computer Science. Ventura chose to join the Merced rescue team because he wants to help the community that is doing so much for him, especially for offering him the education his parents never received. It has always been one of his passions to help those in need no matter where they are from. At the age of 17 Ventura became a certified AutoCAD and SolidWorks user showing just how far his interest for engineering has gone. Now, at Merced he strives to be a top-level Engineering student among his peers and he one day hopes to own his own engineering company.

Jafet Rincon is a first year student pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of the Merced Rescue Mission, an Engineering Service Learning team. Rincon is already involved in the Engineering community, but plans on being further involved through the Merced Rescue Mission opportunity. Being new he aspires to obtain knowledge and hands-on experience for his developing skills in the Engineering field and create a strong foundation for his upcoming academic years. Rincon, aside of academics, also takes part in athletics mainly exercising and enjoys spending time with friends and family back home.

Bertha Aguilar is a first year student who is currently listed as undeclared in the School of Engineering, but plans to obtain her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Aguilar is a member of the Merced County Rescue Mission, an Engineering Service Learning team. Aguilar is a young, family-oriented Latina who enjoys helping others in any way. She enjoys buying meals for those in need. She hopes to apply skills and concepts she learns about in her future years of life.

Andy Huang is a first-year Computer Science major at UC Merced. Huang is a team member of the Engineering Service Team, Merced Rescue Mission. He chose this project because it gave him the opportunity to aid the people in need of Merced, while attaining experience in the work environment that could be related to his major. In school, Andy has always had an interest in modern day technology, and so he hopes to pursue a career in Computer Science. During his spare time, he enjoys socializing with friends and browsing the web in his spare time.