California State University, Northridge
Mechanical Engineering
Rogelio Reynoso Jr. was born to immigrant parents from Mexico. Due to his humble beginnings, Rogelio was shown the importance of hard work at an early age. By the time he was 10, he had worked in restaurants, car washes, and carpet and floor detailing jobs to help his family. Although he struggled with English in his early education, he excelled in math and was accepted into the Jaime Escalante Math Program in high school where he enrolled in Calculus BC his senior year. Through all things, Rogelio persevered and continued his pursuits of higher education.
Rogelio began his college journey studying mechanical engineering at East Los Angeles College (ELAC). At ELAC, he was president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Student Chapter S379. He provided opportunities for the chapter members to attend company tours and learn more about manufacturing. Rogelio also took part in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program, the L’Space Mission Concept Academy (MCA), and the L’Space NASA Proposal Writing & Evaluation Experience (NPWEE). During his time with the NCAS program, Rogelio participated in two missions. He became the assistant project manager and budget officer for a team that was tasked to plan a successful landing on Mars in order to conduct research on a habitat. Most notably, he had the opportunity to render a 3D Lunar Rover to assist NASA in gathering and testing ice found in the south pole of Earth’s moon. This experience guided Rogelio’s transfer to California State University, Northridge to continue his mechanical engineering studies.
Rogelio is no stranger to Great Minds in STEM. Most recently, he was awarded a $5,000 Chevron-sponsored scholarship at the 2022 GMiS Conference. He also volunteered as a Conference Delegate serving as an extension of the GMiS staff and assisted in executing the conference activities, serving as a liaison with attendees, and providing support for sponsor executives. Rogelio is also a College Captain for the GMiS Viva Technology hosted virtually at various middle school and high schools around the nation.
Rogelio’s future goals include obtaining his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and using his knowledge at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). While at JPL, he aspires to be a part of the next generation of engineers and, “Help the next astronaut land on Mars for the first time or help bring new forms of energy distribution to those in need here on Earth.” We believe in you, spaceman!