Luis Blanco
Electrical Engineering MS (Fall 2023)
"From the hood to hooded" - helping others find their voice and achieve their goals
When you think of the American Dream, stories like Luis Thor Blanco’s journey to one of the top firms in the country comes to mind. A proud first-generation American, Luis left Venezuela with his parents in the early 1990’s to escape the country’s economic collapse. His father had a third-grade education and his mother obtained a high school diploma. Luis grew up in New York City not speaking English, not having a green card or health insurance, and with little money. However, in the face of these challenges, he persevered.
“Despite the hand that life had dealt me, I knew that somehow, I could still win.” Leveraging that mindset, Luis got the opportunity to meet some incredible people and mentors along the way. It was through mentorship that he was able to enroll in a two-year college program and graduate – the first in his family to do so.
Luis, who was gifted at math, had a strong imagination, and was good with his hands, was intrigued by engineering. “Engineering is so artistic to me; it’s about creating something and looking at everything in a new way. It’s a big puzzle you’re trying to solve, and I just love it.”
Luis pursued a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz and landed an exclusive 10-week internship at a startup research and development team in LA. He turned that internship into a full-time position, traveling the world testing and troubleshooting electrical problems that were uncovered by the rise of EV’s and high-performance vehicles.
After five years, Luis began to dream of more.
“I got recruited by one of the largest companies in the US, Northrop Grumman. They were impressed with my testing and troubleshooting background, and despite not having a radio frequency or telecommunication background, they saw my hunger to learn, grow, and overcome adversity,” said Luis.
He knew changing industries would be a steep learning curve. He also knew radio frequency was not as straightforward of a field and that it would require discipline and tenacity to succeed. After three months of trying to visualize signals and waves that no human could physically see, he knew it was the perfect time to pursue a graduate degree.
“There were so many graduate school options, but I wanted to attend a school where I wouldn’t be just another number in the crowd. I was looking for an experience in an environment where I could soak up as much as possible. The impact I wanted needed access and dialogue with faculty. I wanted to learn from people who cared about their students.”
Luis decided on Cal State LA because one of his coworkers spoke so highly about the experience and the professors who made his graduate experience worthwhile.
Moving from a working engineer to a graduate student was challenging, relearning the math and trying to follow new theories all at the same time.
“That first year was tough; I cried three times in two semesters wondering if this was a good idea to see to the end,” said Luis. “Once again, the goal was to win with the hand I was dealt.”
As semesters went on, Luis built a support system of teachers and peers. Luis shared his experience with others during his 2024 Honors Convocation speech, “Every time the path looked dark ahead or impossible, I remembered that I was never supposed to make it this far in life. Eventually I made it to the end of the program; I aced every single class I took and developed a real relationship with my peers and professors. Cal State LA became a second home on the west coast–and Dr. Mondin and Dr. Daneshgaran became mentors and parent figures who I never wanted to disappoint.”
As he persevered, he found himself moving into informal mentorship and leadership roles with his peers, something that would carry over to his work following his time at Cal State LA. Being recognized as an exemplary student wasn’t something he sought out, but his hard work and perseverance created a brand that was undeniable for other students. His goal is to find the “right loud.”
“I think you can be loud in many different ways, but I think the right loud is impactful. The right loud is in a way that is helping someone else,” Luis said. “I guess me being loud in the Cal State LA version was me raising a flag to say, ‘hey, I'm here to help and let's not both struggle. Let's both help each other out.’”
As a 2024 Cal State LA graduate, Luis is continuing his work at Northrop Grumman and is the founder of a life coaching and financial consulting company Blanco Method LLC, where he empowers individuals to build roadmaps to achieving their life, professional, and financial goals. When he faces tough challenges at work, he looks to his time at Cal State LA to help him overcome both practically and emotionally.
“You can win, no matter what hand you are dealt. You are your parents’ wildest dream, and you belong in the room with everyone else; Cal State LA taught me that.”
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Click on a student below to read more ECST graduating student highlights.
- Veronica Sifuentes, Mechanical Engineering BS
Mentee to mentor - paying it forward, uplifting first-gen students toward success - Stellina Ao, Computer Science BS with Minors in Bioengineering and Math
Teen uses machine learning and AI to improve the lives of stroke survivors - David Strickland, Materials Science and Engineering MS
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