Meet the UIP/URP Team

Adrian Dumaguin, Mechanical Engineering

I am a 4th Year Mechanical Engineer with a professional interest in Civil Engineering though my work with the California Energy Commission and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Recently I have been working with the California Energy Commission to perform research on products sold within the state, to make sure that companies aren’t wasting energy and water. I also have a research background in Bioengineering with my previous work at the Di Carlo Lab performing microfluidics research for dPCR! As a student, I am the External Vice President for Pilipinos in Engineering and Science, working to promote representation for minorities in this field!

Alexa Fakhimi, Electrical Engineering

Hi! My name is Alexa, and I’m a fourth-year Electrical Engineering major. This past summer, I interned at Applied Medical, where I developed skills in power design and FPGA firmware development, while gaining hands-on engineering experience. Two summers ago, I interned at BD where I was introduced to schematic and PCB design and learned how electrical engineering supports the medical device industry. On campus, I’m involved in IEEE WATT and BMES. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new cafes, playing tennis and soccer, and trying anything matcha-flavored!

Jimena Olivares-Banegas, Civil Engineering

Hello! I’m Jimena, a third year Civil Engineering Major from Riverside, CA with a Structural Concentration. I am interested in developing sustainable and resilient infrastructure in our communities. I’ve conducted structural analysis research and interned as a project engineer at Granite Construction this past summer.

Cheryl Wu, Computer Science

I interned at Google as a Software Engineer this past summer! I also love hackathons and have won a category prize at the majority of them. I’m involved in many student organizations in the tech, business, and entrepreneurship space, including LA Blueprint as EVP (We create software for nonprofits). My other experiences include working at a tech start-up, and past research experience in economics.

Megan Luu, Computer Science

Hi! My name is Megan Luu and I’m a senior transfer student majoring in Computer Science. I’ve had experience working at a startup as both a Program Manager and Software Engineer intern, where I focused on scrum and mobile development. Last summer, I interned at Wells Fargo on the DevOps team, contributing to customer-facing applications and optimizing software delivery processes. I’m currently at NBCU on the IP Security Technology team to develop anti-piracy solutions driven by AI. On campus, I am involved in ACM Teach where I teach new members on React to prepare them to join a curriculum development team.

Savanna Diaz, Chemical Engineering

Hi! I’m Savanna, a fourth-year chemical engineering major from Temecula, CA. This past summer, I worked at Kite Pharma as a process engineering intern, where I developed a comprehensive global configuration specification for cell therapy equipment used in manufacturing. Previously, I conducted research in the Ferrobotic Group at the I2BL under Professor Emaminejad, contributing to the development of portable blood testing technology for neonatal care. I also gained experience in the utilities industry as a distribution engineering intern at Duke Energy, focusing on natural gas regulation and infrastructure planning. Outside of engineering, I work as a part-time tutor for middle and high school students, and I’m actively involved in CEED and Icarus Contemporary. In my free time, I enjoy dancing, baking, reading, and staying up to date with the latest fashion trends!

Maddie Doi, Bioengineering

Interned at Sanofi as an Inflammation and Immunology R&D Intern, Takeda as a Manufacturing Sciences Intern, and Edwards Lifesciences as a TMTT Design Assurance Engineering Intern. Currently conducting research on minimum tumor margin detection using dynamic optical contrast imaging in the St. John Lab. Involvement with SWE Mentorship Committee and BMES Build and Design Teams.

Maddie Donahue, Computer Science

I’m Maddie, a third-year Computer Science major at UCLA (originally from Washington). I’ve completed two industry internships, one in game development and one in AI. Through my internships I have done full stack development from build to launch. I’ve worked through multiple ACM learning tracks, including work in ACM.Cyber, ACM.Studio, and ACM.AI. I currently work in the Coley Lab (Neurobiology) on facial-feature extraction, using machine learning, clustering, and statistical analysis to detect significant responses to stimuli.

Incoming Team Members

Victoria Madu, Bioengineering

Hi, I’m Victoria and I am a fourth-year Bioengineering major here at UCLA from Long Island, NY. Last summer, I worked at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in Jacksonville, FL on their R&D and Process Engineering team. Before that, I also worked for Procter & Gamble on the Baby Care side, organizing the safety, risk, and general implementation logistics for new automation processes coming to our site in Cape Girardeau. In terms of research, I have recently begun working with the UCLA Living Biofoundry Lab on a GABA oxidase directed evolution. Outside of engineering projects, I am heavily involved in the National Society of Black Engineers, with which I have served on both regional and chapter boards and have attended numerous conferences. I am also very involved with the University Catholic Center here at UCLA, and am both a Student Leader for the Outreach Team and Hue, which is it’s first cultural group for evangelizing Black Catholics on campus. Some of my hobbies include cooking, reading, traveling to new states, and spending time with friends, and I love gaining new experiences at UCLA and beyond!

Jodi Lizette Del Villar, Chemical Engineering

Hello! My name is Jodi Lizette, and I am a fourth-year Chemical Engineering Student from Perris, CA (go IE!!). This past summer, I interned at PPG where I worked in R&D to improve the sustainability and safety quality of architectural coatings and non-stick coatings for cookware. Previously, I worked at SunOpta Aseptic as a Food Safety Quality Intern where I analyzed and optimized a transfer process to minimize oat milk losses. Regarding research experience, I completed the SRP 199 course at the Robert Modlin Lab in Dermatology. I designed a novel ligand-binding assay to study interactions involving acne-associated particles. I also helped out as an undergraduate assistant researcher at the Annabi Lab. Outside of engineering, I am involved in Pilipinos in Engineering and Sciences, Aurum Cosmetics, and Samahang Pilipino Culture Night. In my free time, I love curly haircare, tennis, thrifting, and going to concerts!

Swaraali Save, Chemical Engineering

Hello, I’m Swaraali and I’m a 4th-year ChemE from San Mateo, CA! Last summer, I interned at Amgen, where I worked in Operations to optimize the process of drug production/roll-out. The summer before, I did a research internship at UC Berkeley, developing a chemical treatment to debond the labels on plastic bottles in order to increase their recyclability. I currently conduct research in the Srivastava Lab, where I synthesize polymers and formulate bioadhesives that can adhere in wet environments. I’ve also been involved in AIChE, BMES, and Unravel; I’m currently a lead for AIChE’s ChemE Cube project, which is focused on designing and building a fully functional, miniature Direct Air Capture system to capture carbon dioxide from ambient air. Outside of engineering, I love ceramics, baking, knitting, live music, and fashion!

Benjamin Garcia, Computer Science

Hello I’m Benjamin! I’m a fourth-year Computer Science transfer student, full-stack developer, and undergraduate researcher in UCLA’s Human–Computer Interaction Research Lab. My work sits at the intersection of software engineering, AI, and user experience, and I care a lot about building products that are both technically strong and thoughtful to use. I’ve held software and AI-focused internship roles at Todd Agriscience, Bonterra, and TensorStax, where I worked on client dashboards, agentic AI systems, and real-time web applications. Outside of that, I enjoy building personal projects around developer credibility, fitness, and community platforms, and I’m especially drawn to creating software that feels polished, useful, and human-centered.

Jadyn Berlin, Computer Science

Hi, I’m Jadyn! I am a first-generation LatinX transfer student from California’s Central Valley and a proud alumnus of Madera Community College, where I earned three Associate of Science degrees in Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science. Now at UCLA, I am pursuing my B.S. in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. Prior to transferring, I worked as a STEM tutor, supporting community college students across math, physics, and computer science while helping foster an inclusive and encouraging learning environment. My academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human-centered computing, and technology for social good. I have experience conducting AI and bioinformatics research, including a project at CSU Fresno focused on evaluating generative AI models’ ability to produce random DNA sequences for synthetic biological sequencing. As a UIP Peer Advisor, I look forward to sharing my experiences, supporting students in their academic and professional journeys, and helping build a welcoming and resourceful community.

Annmarie Jessil, Computer Science and Engineering

Hi, my name is Annmarie Jessil, and I am a fourth-year Computer Science and Engineering major. These past two summers, I interned at Oracle as a Technical Program Manager Intern, where I led initiatives to streamline internal resource allocation for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure teams. At UCLA, I serve as the External Vice President for SWE @ UCLA and was the former Director of Research for the International Urban Sustainability Student Corps. In my free time, I like to make homemade syrups and create fun variations of matcha lattes!

Mona Kusumoto, Materials Science and Engineering

Hello, my name is Mona! I’ve interned at General Motors as an Additive Manufacturing Intern and Sherwin Williams as a Quality Intern. At UCLA, I spend much of my time as an External Structures Lead at Rocket Project, undergraduate research at the Park-Moment Lab, and also a Resident Assistant on the Hill!

Tyler Bresnick, Mechanical Engineering

Hello I’m Tyler, and I’m a 4th year traditional Mechanical Engineering student from Naperville, IL. I transferred to the SEAS from the College as a first year and am on track to earn both my BS and MS in mechanical engineering in June. I worked as a Systems Integration intern with International motors, writing testing procedures and performing diagnostics on electric trucks and buses. I also have worked in MACLAB designing an ophthalmic surgery robot and the DNA Systems lab analyzing biological circuits. On campus, I march clarinet with the UCLA Solid Gold Sound marching band, and I am the internal VP of Pilipinos in Engineering and Sciences (PIES).

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