Pedro Gomez

University of California at Berkeley

Engineering

I was born in Guatemala where I was raised by my mother and grandmother. We came to the United States when I was six years old. We struggled economically when we first came, but everyone worked and we survived. We frequently lived in converted garages without many of the essentials. I was identified in junior high school as "gifted and talented." I applied to the Gifted Magnet Program at Crenshaw High School and was accepted when I was a sophomore. I excelled at Crenshaw and eventually became President of the Student Body when I was a senior.

In the summer of my senior year in high school, The South Central Gifted Scholar Fund gave me a scholarship and arranged for a summer internship with David Cannom, M.D., the Director of Cardiology at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. This internship served as an introduction to aspects of biotechnology and electrical engineering. I had already been accepted to U.C. Berkeley, College of Engineering, and my summer experience with Dr. Cannom increased my interest in biotechnology even further. I am doing very well in my engineering studies at Berkeley. In 2002, The Fund obtained mentors for me, Eric and Anne Harrison. Eric is a venture capitalist and Anne is a realtor. Eric and Anne inspire and counsel me about my studies and career. I play sports with Eric and spend time with his family in their home on a regular basis. They helped me furnish my apartment at college. In the Summer of 2004, Eric helped me set up an interview, which led to a paid internship with Hewlett Packard. I worked with a team of engineers on new laser jet printer technology. Our work has been submitted for a patent.

The opportunities I have experienced through The Fund would not have been possible without their help and guidance, which I try to repay by helping new students from The Fund as they enter U.C. Berkeley. I plan to continue my involvement with The Fund as a volunteer and mentor. My sister, Besy, is a junior at UCLA and is also a recipient of a scholarship from The Fund. The Fund has touched our lives in a very positive way.