Today we’d like to introduce you to Benneth Perez
Hi Benneth, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Benneth Perez. I’m originally from Houston, TX; my parents are from Quezaltenango, Guatemala. I was raised along with my two siblings, one of whom is my twin brother. At an early age, I realized my family was low income. My mother worked a few times, and my father had two full-time jobs most of my life. Due to their immigrant status at the time, the opportunities the family had available were minimal, and the only way for the family to get ahead was through hard work and determination. My parents never worked in an office setting, fancy buildings, or knew what careers were. I had a traditional public education, applying for free school meals, public transportation, and any educational help I qualified for. I never had the best school supplies, but my mother always made sure I had the supplies I needed for my education. Much of my childhood I never had much of an encounter with Caucasians; due to the income the family made, we lived in the far areas of Houston where the only people around were African American or Hispanic. At the time, it was insignificant, but I attended an elementary school where the school’s mascot was ‘Saturn V’. I didn’t understand much then, but I did learn what NASA was and thought to myself if only someone like me could work there.
I was a gifted student from an early age, and looking back, there were a lot of reasons why that was. Due to my family not having much money to spend, growing up, I had very few opportunities to spend being distracted by the pleasures of life. We often visited flea markets where my parents would buy video games. As silly as it sounds, my brother and I would spend a lot of time playing video games, solving puzzles, and completing quests. We always spent a lot of time gaming and figuring out all the details about any game. I believe it was the closest thing we could afford to STEM at the time; the majority of our video games at the time were $1. As I grew up, I attended a middle school further from my home to avoid the problematic middle school I was zoned to. My grades soon enough got me into a school that was even further on a side of the city that was mostly Caucasian. It was the first time that I had gone to school with Caucasians, seeing entire classrooms with very few of other races. I was beginning to realize that my education and natural intellect were exposing me to things I had never seen or experienced.
When I graduated high school, my brother and I had graduated top of our class and with grades that very few students could achieve. Right away, that got me into a private university with a very prestigious reputation only to see that I could not afford it and would have to unenrolled the following year. Through the years I would end up moving back home and working several jobs and attending community colleges, and a few public universities. Eventually, I graduated from a public university in San Antonio, TX. I had worked my way through school, having worked over twenty different jobs in various industries and experiencing all sorts of challenges along the way, but I had earned my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Having earned one of the most difficult degrees available was only the beginning. Not having any mentorship or help to know where to go from there, I began working non-engineering roles. Eventually, I would land my first role as an engineer. As life would have it, I met an aerospace engineer at my job. Since then, I began my career one day aiming to work at the best companies in the world. In time, I would apply to one of the aerospace giants around the world, and my life would change forever. Through my work, I would eventually get to work on worldwide recognized projects such as the International Space Station (ISS), Space Launch System (SLS), military cargo aircraft, satellites, and almost anything that is part of the aerospace industry.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
With hard work, determination, and sacrifices, I ended up achieving something that I never imagined being an option for me; I relocated to Florida to go work at Kennedy Space Center. While working at KSC, I would work alongside many brilliant engineers and NASA staff members. This would boost my ongoing online platform where I promote STEM education, volunteering, and Hispanic/Latino career development.
Often we don’t know what we don’t know. This concept seems hard to understand at first, but with time, you look back at your life experiences and realize that if you had only known better, you would have made decisions in life that would have helped you later. Growing up, I didn’t have any mentors, and often all I knew was what my family had experienced or lived. Even at a young age, I demonstrated aptitude for success, but it was challenging to see that or realize it due to the environment I lived in. Our environments influence how our lives are shaped and the decisions we have to make that could very well impact the rest of our lives. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood meant a lot of opportunities to get involved with the wrong crowds, be less likely motivated to succeed, and possibly be treated differently for wanting to succeed. We are starting to hear more and more often students mention they are first-generation. There’s so much compartmentalization in that phrase. I did not see success in my own story; my skills were not being implemented to their full potential. At home, all the instructional advice my parents could provide me with was to get good grades. I graduated high school at the top of my class without knowing how well I had done, and that education was the key to my success story. Not having much help, I only applied to two schools, one being a free application and the other sponsored by a recruiter who saw potential in me. Of course, I didn’t have any guidance on what to major in, where or how to apply, no clue what financial aid was, zero scholarship applications; the list of unknowns was long. That led me to make many mistakes which later in life would affect me. During the long seven years that it took me to graduate, I ended up working at over twenty different jobs, often two full-time jobs or one full-time and one part-time to pay my way through school. Many times, I didn’t know how I would pay for my education, living expenses, or if I would find myself dropping out due to my low grades, as I almost never had time to study due to this busy work cycle. It seemed like I was stuck between having to work over sixty hours a week and having little time to study, which would lead to failing classes and having to pay for them out of pocket.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an electrical engineer at Boeing, where I design advanced electrical wire systems for aerodynamic and astronautic platforms. As a design engineer, I have the privilege of leaving a highly valuable and specialized legacy through the platforms I help design. Apart from my daily role, I am involved in several non-profit and voluntary roles that keep me busy. I serve as the Business Resource Group (BRG) leader at the enterprise level, known as Boeing Familia. In this role, I oversee several chapters globally. This position is voluntary but integral to my dedication to supporting Hispanic/Latinos bring diversity to the aerospace industry.
Recently, I also took on the voluntary role of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair for the local American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Chapter of St. Louis, aiming to foster diversity bridges among various focused organizations. Additionally, I have accepted the role of Vice President for the St. Louis Gateway Chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), a non-profit dedicated to developing its members and advocating for Hispanic/Latinos entering the STEM industry. You can often find me at numerous STEM activities around St. Louis, where I strive to inspire students.
I take great pride in everything I’ve accomplished in my career, but most importantly, I value being able to see the individuals I mentor succeed in their own journeys toward success. I believe what distinguishes me from others is my immediate willingness to help without expecting anything in return. When I coach someone, I often ask for one thing: to pay it forward by helping someone else. I extend my assistance to everyone, but I have a special commitment to those who pledge to help others in the future.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I continued to push through and decided to work at a fast-food store, which eventually helped me get financial assistance for tuition. This support was enough to get me through the last two semesters of my heavily burdened degree plan. I felt like I had no choice but to finish my degree, no matter how many more semesters I failed or continued to work over sixty hours. Completing my engineering degree was essential if I ever planned on paying back my educational debt. In a way, I was burying myself in debt while barely having a chance to complete my degree. Seeing thousands of dollars leave my account was heartbreaking, and on top of that, my grades were not uplifting at all. After working very hard to pay for classes, I often found myself having to retake courses due to not having enough time to study and perform well. The only thing that kept me going was knowing several of my family members had passed away, and I had to honor them by succeeding. This might seem like it would be my downfall, but I used it as fuel to motivate myself to continue to be resilient.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: thelatinoengineer_
- Twitter: thelatinoengineer_
Image Credits
Benneth Perez
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) – Orlando
Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA)
Boeing Global Engagement
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) – St. Louis Gateway Chapter
Boeing Familia
Boeing
