Industrial engineering junior Roberto Barrera believes he was born tailored with an engineering mindset. At 10-years-old, his parents made him responsible for inventory of their food stand back home in Greensboro, FL. Before he started organizing it, setting up their stand took almost two hours. As a child, Barrera was able to help his parents by increasing their efficiency.
“I would always look for the better solution to things or how to innovate a system in my normal life,” Barrera remembers.
After graduating high school, Barrera enrolled at Florida State University as a civil engineering student in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. But by the end of his first year, his path would divert. He knew he was made to be an engineer, but his field of study changed after he was invited to the First-Year Engineering Lab. Undergraduate advisor John Taylor’s First Year Engineering Lab presentation on industrial engineering convinced Barrera to adjust his plans.
Now as an industrial engineering student, Barrera appreciates his field’s diversity. With his degree he will be able to build a career in diverse job markets—something that he knows will be fulfilling and rewarding for life.