Hi y’all! My name is Erick Morales, senior studying mechanical engineering at Rice University. I was born in Houston, TX and raised in Richmond, TX. My family is from Monterrey, Mexico and I am a proud latino.

Things I do on campus! Most of my time is spent in the Hispanic Assocation for Cultural Enrichment at Rice (HACER). I am a current co-president as well as a former college representative and culturals chair. Through HACER, I was able to organize one of the largest cultural showcases on campus while navigating the COVID pandemic.

Apart from HACER, I have served as the third Launch Rail Subteam Lead in Rice Eclipse Rocketry Club history and a Senior Interviewer for the Rice Office of Admissions. In the School of Engineering, I serve as a Student Ambassador.

I have attended a number of engineering design courses in the OEDK, and have been a part of three different engineering design projects where I was able to interact with clients and find ways to apply my skills to a teamwork environment.

One project I am most proud of would be the game box I made for my Introduction to Practical Electrical Engineering class, where I was able to combine my mechanical and electrical skills for the first time. I also learned how to use Python to develop projects for my own ideas.

A thing I would like to make is my own desk in the future. I want to be able to customize it to make sure that it fits my needs and the aesthetics of my future room. Not only would it be cost-efficient, but it would allow me to personalize an item that will hopefully be the site of many personal achievements in my career.

Through ENGI 120, I hope to learn woodworking skills that will help me in my desk project as well as general projects for my humble abode. Woodworking skills will give me the ability to create items out of a relatively inexpensive material that can be manipulated to develop unique and creative projects.