I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1987. I graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering at the Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeon Cañas" in 2012, after which I worked as a Junior Structural Engineer at JEP Ingenieros y Arquitectos. There, I had the opportunity to be involved different types of structural engineering projects including: apartments, retail and office, warehouses, schools and hospitals. Of course my passion for structural engineering pushed me towards advancing my career and I pursued my Masters in Civil Engineering (MCE) at North Carolina State University finishing my studies in 2016. After applying the obtained knowledge, I decided I wanted to be knowledgeable in the state of the art in Earthquake Engineering. Therefore, I am currently pursuing my PhD in Civil Engineering at North Carolina State University. It is my goal to be the best at what I do and provide the best work that I can give, with an understanding of not only the logical implications of my decisions, but also the people affected by those decisions.

I have a natural ability to investigate, diagnose and identify patterns results in valuable insights that are logical and well thought out. During my nearly 10 years of experiences as an engineer and researcher, I have performed at my best when I am involved in interesting projects that require problem solving, conceiving new concepts, and designing the best solution. I am content, when I have performed to the best of my abilities, and my desire to finish on schedule motivates me to move methodically from one milestone to the next and finish my projects on time. I constantly search ways to do a better job, learn the latest advancements in my field of study. I also have a tendency to help others find answers to their personal and professional problems, which suits me as a mentor. I could say that my authenticity allows me to build close, long lasting connections that foster trust and confidence. More importantly people know what to expect from me.

Currently as part of my Ph.D. studies, I am developing a structural design framework that will allow structural engineers to design structures for aging effects, and repeated loading such as mainshock-aftershock sequences. This research will also enable us to investigate and assess aged structures. More importantly my research opens the gate to a more sustainable design of structures. Additionally, in parallel me and my team have been developing the seismic assessment of a 50-year-old bridge in Anchorage, Alaska. This ongoing project will provide a solution to retrofit the Anchorage Port Access Bridge, considering the limitations of the short construction season of Alaska, construction technology of the area, and cold weather.

More broadly, I practiced structural engineering for about 5 years in El Salvador, where I was involved in a myriad of projects such as schools, hospitals, retail buildings, all the way to a small involvement in the design of different structures for a hydro power electricity project.