Jorge Aguila first came to Michigan Tech through the Michigan Colleges and Universities Partnership (MICUP), a program he joined while attending Grand Rapids Community College. As a participant in MICUP, Aguila traveled to Michigan Tech’s campus to take a class and work as a research assistant in the ME-EM Department. According to Aguila, the engaging classes and helpful faculty and staff drew him back. After earning his associate’s degree in Sciences and Arts, Aguila decided to return to Michigan Tech to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Aguila has traveled a long way from home to study at Michigan Tech. Originally from Cuba, Aguila immigrated to the United States of America with his family at the age of 18 when his mother was granted a visa. He is looking forward to a career in the automotive industry—a field with very limited opportunities in Cuba. Aguila says that, although he has been interested in cars for a long time, his career choice was largely influenced by his father, a metallurgical engineer. "I always wanted to follow in his footsteps," he said.

Jorge and his father share more than just an interest in engineering. Like Jorge, his father traveled to a foreign country to study. Aguila’s father studied the Russian language and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in metallurgy as a young man in the Soviet Union. Now, Jorge Aguila is following in his father’s footsteps, he works hard and studies in his second language—English.In addition to being a full-time student, Aguila works as an undergraduate research assistant with ME-EM faculty member John Gershenson. His work with Gershenson focuses on modularity and reducing the steps involved with design, manufacturing, and assembly. He also works on computational fluid dynamics software with Mahesh Gupta, an Associate Professor in the ME-EM Department. At Michigan Tech Aguila is getting the education and experience he needs to become a successful Mechanical Engineer.