I3@USD-Fall 2025

Precious Perlas (ISyE) recently switched careers, temporarily, from engineering to education for elementary students enrichment. She led a Legos, Leadership and STEM class for first- through fifth‑graders. She is now transitioning into an engineering role with FedEx, where she will work at LAX. Elliot Watson (IntE) conquered the Baja 500 — a world-renowned off-road motorsport race held on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula — taking home the win in Class 10. We are so proud to celebrate this victory! Ysabel Yu (IntE) is in her second year of her PhD program in civil engineering at the University of Washington. She has presented her research in equitable climate adaptation at the Engineering Project Organization Conference in Maine, as well as her research in walkable city infrastructure at the National Sustainable Society Conference in Washington. 2024 Yaqoub Alsaeed (EE) joined Kuwait Fund’s Engineers and Architects training program, and is currently interning at PGESCo in Egypt, specializing in instrumentation, control systems and process engineering. He will serve as an intern with Schlumberger Kuwait later in 2025.

2021 Haley Guastaferro (EE) has been working at Qualcomm for three years as a hardware engineer, specializing in next-generation automotive designs. Outside of engineering, she launched Hoppy Dayz, a mobile bar trailer business, and dabbles in real estate investing. Guastaferro enjoys combining her technical skills with entrepreneurial ventures.

EMAD ALBALAWI

2023 Emad Albalawi (ME) recently switched careers to start a new position in investment strategies and business development. Currently working in the renewable energy industry, he and his team closed $3 billion in deals with Jinko Solar, TCL and Envision. He is proud to help lead the renewable energy manufacturing industry in Saudi Arabia. Dakota Gates (IntE) recently completed her internship producing gifting suites for the Grammys and Oscars while continuing her role as a fan coordinator for 1iota. Beginning May 2025, she became an assistant to directors and producers for a film.

HALEY GUASTAFERRO

Sabrina Smith (ME) is a Naval Architect at SpaceX, where she designs, maintains and supports vessels used to recover crews and flight hardware from space missions. Daniella Walter (ME) is in the fifth year of her mechanical engineering doctorate program at UC Santa Barbara, where she researches how mechanical cues influence tissue development and breast cancer progression. She recently attended a workshop hosted through the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Capitol Hill, where she had the opportunity to advocate for federal science and research funding.

NICOLE KOUTELOS

Nicole Koutelos (ISyE) is a project manager at NextEra Energy Resources based in Palm Beach, Florida, where she leads early-stage development of utility-scale solar energy projects, overseeing engineering scope, project planning, permitting strategy and risk management. Recently elected chapter president of SHPE South Florida Professional, Koutelos leads regional outreach, mentorship and professional development initiatives to strengthen Latino representation in STEM.

YAQOUB ALSAEED

Juliette Dignum (IntE ) recently joined HelioVolta as an associate project manager. Driven by her passion for renewable energy, she now supports solar energy projects at

DANIELLA WALTER

22 USD ENGINEERING