I was born and raised on Long Island, NY but my parents and sister were immigrants from El Salvador. They left their friends, family, and home to escape a civil war. My father was 26, my mother 23, and my sister was 2 years old. They became naturalized U.S. citizens in the 1980’s which ensured my life would be easier than theirs. My parents worked tirelessly to make sure that my sister and I were able to get the basic education that they were denied.

I started my adult life as an auto mechanic in New York. Shortly after I turned 22 my father passed away which led to a series of events that caused me to move across the country to Palmdale, CA. In California I continued my automotive career, but I felt unfulfilled. I started taking classes, part-time, at the local community college in 2014 and enrolled full time in 2016. In 2019 I was accepted as a transfer student to the Electrical Engineering program at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I graduated cum laude in 2022 at the age of 35 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, the first in my family to receive a bachelor’s degree.

It is strange to imagine what one decision, one act, one allowance of mercy can evolve into. If my family had decided to stay put, if when they arrived in the U.S. they were sent away or, if they had not been naturalized, I would likely be in a very different place and circumstance. I feel very fortunate and happy to be here.

Did you know?

I used to make educational YouTube videos about common automotive repairs. My videos also focused on using oscilloscopes to diagnose automotive problems. My videos have over 1 million combined views.

enrique@meyersplus.com
Direct:  415.432.8137