My name is Gustavo Diaz Galeas, a junior studying computer engineering. I am a graduate from Lyman High School in Longwood, and also a transfer student from Seminole State College. It was at Lyman where I was first introduced into the world of STEM, having enrolled in classes whose focus was in principles of engineering. I later took this a step further at Seminole State as I got involved in their STEM Club, eventually becoming an officer that provided workshops and events for students while fostering the community there.

Although I am an engineering major, my true passion lies in mathematics. That is why my favorite course is Intro to Discrete Structures, as it provides the fundamentals and rigors of mathematical proofing that is used to determine the logical outcomes of programs and algorithms alike. It is the cornerstone of which many programming languages are built upon.

I decided to become involved with the STEM Ambassadors as a way for me to continue what I began at Seminole State. The STEM community is filled with bright, gifted, and determined minds hailing from diverse backgrounds, and being a part of it also means to encourage others in pursuing their passions within the field. It is because of this encouragement that I find myself where I am at, and it is only natural for me to pass on the torch of inspiration to the next generation of STEM leaders.

If there could be any words of wisdom that I may impart onto anyone, is that we are as much of our failures as we are our successes. Anyone in a field of STEM can tell you that they have failed more often than they’d like to admit, and it is through these failures that we learn the most, becoming more determined on achieving our goals. Grit is a defining characteristic in many STEM majors. So if you fall, just pick yourself back up, mount your horse, and charge on!

Whenever I’m not studying (which is often rare), I like to cook for friends and family, craft origami sculptures, and play videogames, particularly MMOs such as Guild Wars 2. It is through these activities that I find myself most happy outside of math and the sciences.