Louis Romero

My name is Louis Paul Romero.  I am a California Community College student at Hartnell College in Salinas awaiting transfer for Fall 2018 to the University of California with an intended transfer major of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.  I am the first student in my college to have earned a Research Experience for Undergraduates at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science, which took place summer of 2017. Prior to the completion of my internship, I applied to present my poster at the Emerging Researchers National Conference (ERN) in STEM and earned acceptance.  A few weeks before the conference, I received an email from ERN staff informing me of two presentation webinars on How to Deliver an Excellent Poster Research Presentation and How to Deliver an Excellent Oral Research Presentation.  Immediately, I registered for both and on the day of each workshop I was mentored by Dr.  Mary Ann Leung. One thing that I valued most is that her webinars were a two way conversation for the entire duration, so throughout each presentation I was interrupting her with questions.  My main concerns were addressing the audience and organization of my presentation. She pleasantly addressed my concerns and informed me of how to incorporate her training into my presentation.  Her knowledge and insight enabled my success at ERN and led me to win 1st place in my poster presentation.  When my award was announced I was in a state of shock, but I did feel extreme happiness because it is my first award for presenting my poster at a conference.  Had I not participated in her ERN workshops, it is not likely that I would have won 1st place in my poster presentation.  Thank you Dr. Leung for your great mentorship and empowering me with your knowledge!