Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department
Cal Poly Pomona
PhD, Mechanical Engineering, UC Los Angeles
MS, Mechanical Engineering; Emphasis in Structural and Solid Mechanics, UC Los Angeles
BA, Mechanical Engineering; Minor in Material Science, Cal Poly Pomona
In his youth, Brian walked past the TELACU Corporate Headquarters every day on his way to school, and he still clearly recalls his very first interview for TELACU’s College Success Program. “My interviewers were none other than Priscilla and Dr. David Lizárraga, so you can only imagine that I was just a little nervous! In order to showcase my love for mechanical engineering, I brought with me some composite materials I had made and a robot I had built myself. The Lizárragas told me how impressed they were and selected me for a scholarship.
Since that first interview, the Foundation has greatly impacted my life in so many ways. The scholarship funds I received allowed me to focus on rigorous coursework and school activities without having to worry about getting a job to pay for education-related costs. I also had opportunities to meet people from my own community who had transformed into successful, accomplished professionals by obtaining Master’s degrees and PhDs, something I never dreamed possible for myself.”
Today, Dr. Brian Ramirez is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at his very own alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona! He stands at the front of his classroom, completing the full circle of empowerment made possible by the Foundation’s generous partners.
A TELACU Scholar and Graduate Fellow throughout his distinguished decade-long collegiate career, Brian’s ultimate goal is to serve as a role model to every young person who believes that their academic and professional dreams are out of reach. He shares, “I can remember being in the seats where my students now sit. And my greatest hope is that they will see my life and success, and dream big as I had the opportunity to do, thanks to the investments of the TELACU Education Foundation and its partners!”
Advanced to Senior Year
Public Health Studies; Minor in Africana Studies, Johns Hopkins University
Cynthia became aware of global health care disparities at the young age of 15 when she overheard her mother listening to a news report about a woman who gave birth to 44 children throughout her lifetime. Captivated by the story, she researched teen birth, labor complications, and health care issues, all the while wondering if she herself might have become one of those statistics had her parents made different life choices.
Overcome with empathy, she yearned to do something to help. Together with her brother, she founded Reset Clothing, a small business to help raise awareness and funds for non-profit organizations. She also served as Executive Board Member and Graphic Design Chair for the Global Medical Brigades; Intern and Classroom Assistant for The Village Learning Place/Center for Social Concern; and Co-Founder of a weekly podcast, sharing her life, struggles, and triumphs at a top-ten university.
Committed to advancing access to health care on a global scale, she traveled to Uganda, serving as a Student Observer at a local hospital. Over the course of her six-week internship, she shadowed health care providers in pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology. This summer, she interned at Kennedy Krieger Institute, exploring the field of neurodiversity, neurodevelopmental disability (NDD), and mental health in children, adults, and adolescents, and working closely with mentors and fellow cohort members to develop research projects and plain language resources accessible to the public.
Advanced to Sophomore Year
Economics and Psychology Majors, UC Berkeley
Entrepreneurship is in Benjamin’s DNA! He spent much of his youth helping his family launch a healthy snack food company and learning how to build a business from the ground up. At the beginning of his high school career, he created four podcasts, hosting more than 100 episodes between them, to teach youth about topics ranging from financial literacy and cryptocurrency to current events impacting the world around them. In his sophomore year, he founded Operation Inspiring America and organized its first annual GivingTuesday-funded school tour introducing community service concepts to more than 4,600 students across 22 schools. He continues to serve as the organization’s Founder and Director and he also recruited other youth leaders who lead service projects in 15 schools across the country. While still only a high school junior in 2023, he became Chief Operating Officer of Kidpreneurs, an interactive academy that teaches children the basic principles of entrepreneurship and financial literacy. And despite juggling these many responsibilities, Benjamin was concurrently enrolled in community college, graduating as his class salutatorian with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Transitioning seamlessly into life at Berkeley, he has completed business analyst internships with the Berkeley Investment Group, Canteena Partners, and the Sellside Group. He is also Vice President of Programming of The Berkely Forum and still finds time to play intramural soccer. With so many amazing accomplishments already, it came as no surprise that he plans to graduate from Berkely in 2026—a full two years early!
BS, Computer Science, UC Los Angeles
Michelle was disheartened to watch her parents, particularly her color-blind father, struggle with technology, and she became determined to develop accessible software that is user-friendly to all. Serving as a Mobile Application Developer and UI/UX Design Intern at Dandilyonn, she led a team of four in creating a nutrition app for college students and designed the Figma prototypes. As a Software Engineer Intern at Wells Fargo, she improved internal application tools by developing UI components and integrated error messages to provide immediate feedback, improving end-user experience. To support other students, she served as UCLA’s ACM Teach LA Director of Design & Developer, spearheading new wireframe designs for their educational websites and connecting with 1,600+ people weekly via social media. She also engaged more directly with a group of nine high school students as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, providing introductory lessons in engineering and programming skills. Her ultimate goal is to establish a non-profit that demystifies technology for less tech-savvy demographics, such as low-income individuals or the elderly, and to make useable products that improve their lives.
Senior Divisional, Merchandising, Target
MBA, Purdue University
BBA, CSU Fullerton
As an aspiring leader while studying business at CSU Fullerton, Eric maximized his engagement with the College Success Program. In addition to scholarships, he secured a long-term mentor that led to a critical internship in his Junior year. “I think the individuals who interviewed me nominated me for the Program because they saw my genuine desire to give back to my community and create opportunities for others.”
Upon graduation, Eric was hired as a Personal Banker in Citi’s South Gate branch. While there, he was selected as one of only nine bankers in the U.S. to participate in the Citibank/Banamex Banker Exchange Program, sending him to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where he became the Program’s top performer.
Recognizing the impact that the TELACU Education Foundation had on his life, as well as the critical role that mentors played in his career development, Eric followed through on his pledge to give back, embodying TELACU’s Mission Statement. He rejoined the College Success Program…only this time as a Mentor. After three years as a Mentor, he was inspired to continue his own education—as a David C. Lizárraga Fellow, Sponsored by Toyota—earning his MBA from Purdue University!
Eric has built an exceptional career at Target over more than a decade, and is now a Senior Divisional, a high-level leadership position overseeing the company’s Dry Grocery Merchandising. He manages a core business of over $4.2B with aspirations to grow 250% in the years to come. Even despite his busy schedule and tremendous responsibilities, Eric always makes time to collaborate with the Foundation to empower the next generation of leaders!
Registered Nurse, UCLA Health
BSN, Nursing, CSU Los Angeles
With a goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner, Pilar has completed well over 700 hours of clinical rotations to explore various specialties, gain insight into patient experience, and work to identify gaps in the health care system. These rotations included Medical Surgical at Beverly Hospital; Medical Surgical and Telemetry at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center; Intensive Care, Pediatrics, and Labor & Delivery at Huntington Hospital; and Psychiatric at Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Center. At Kaiser Permanente Panorama City, she participated in the Learning About Unlimited New Careers in Healthcare (LAUNCH) Internship Program, served as a motivational speaker, and volunteered more than 400 hours doing patient rounds. Additionally, she served as a Mentor through CSULA’s Mentorship Program, member of Alpha Tau Delta and the National Student Nurses’ Association, and Treasurer of the Women Empowerment Club. She also earned her Basic Life Support Certification from the American Heart Association and was an Administrative Clinical Care Partner at UCLA Health, caring for patients in the Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, and Telemetry Units, as well as in the Emergency Department—where she was hired as a Registered Nurse upon graduation!
