Outstanding Graduate + Impact Award, Fall 2022
Javier Perez Torres
Javier Perez Torres loves electrical engineering because of its wide impact on society.
“Electrical engineering is in lighting and power systems, in the medical field, in every computer and every digital communication device,” Perez Torres says.
Thanks to his education in engineering, he gained insight into what it takes to make the products that society uses every day and helped him think of new ways to solve everyday problems.
Perez Torres started his electrical engineering education at Phoenix College, where he earned highest distinction honors for his associate’s degree, then transferred to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University.
While at ASU, he participated in the Engineering Projects in Community Service, or EPICS, program. His EPICS project team created a refreshable Braille display for students with visual impairments in Africa.
While working on the project, Perez Torres rose to become the team lead.
“One of the reasons I chose my team for the EPICS program is because of the tangible solutions that we were bringing to people,” he says. “Creating a prototype that will help African students attend school and expand their education fills me with joy and makes me proud.”
Perez Torres says that while leading the project was a challenge, it gave him confidence in his leadership abilities, which he believes will help him in his academic and professional life.
While still working on his bachelor’s degree, Perez Torres got a job as an equipment technician at electronics manufacturer Microchip Technology Inc.
After graduation, he plans to continue working at Microchip while furthering his education in the electrical engineering accelerated master’s degree program at ASU, from which he plans to graduate in December 2023.
Eventually, Perez Torres sees himself working as an engineering project manager or possibly running his own company to create technology that will advance humanity’s abilities to solve problems.
He praises the Fulton Schools’ ability to educate students for a great career in engineering. Perez Torres particularly enjoys the schools’ hands-on engineering projects.
“The available resources allow students to immerse themselves in their fields and see firsthand how life will be in their professions,” Perez Torres says.
Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Fall 2022 class here.