Miguel Fuentes
Being a first generation student has its challenges, but for Miguel Fuentes the community
at Tennessee Tech University and the encouragement from his family to succeed made
all the difference.
Fuentes is a Mexico native studying Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in mathematics. He is currently a senior with plans to graduate this December.
Fuentes decided on Tech when he got to see the Formula SAE team outside of Tucker Stadium. This gave Fuentes insight into what opportunities he would have in pursuing his education here.
“That was the main thing that motivated me to join Tech and not other universities because of the hands-on experience that we can get in the program,” Fuentes stated.
Fuentes recalled friction he faced with his family when he first started his undergraduate degree. A big challenge for him was being able to communicate the workload of college and difference in lifestyle in Cookeville, Tennessee.
“It was very hard for me to get used to a new work culture and a new environment,” Fuentes explained. “I was the first one that was doing college here in the states and doing college in general, so I felt really, really small.”
Despite the distance, his family has always encouraged him in his education and continued to motivate him even if they could not fully understand the demands he was facing.
“I show them what it looked like in my shoes, and they supported and encouraged me the entire time.”
Fuentes’ father worked in manufacturing, and he pointed out that being raised around engineering terms planted his interest in it.
“I found engineering very interesting because it is the only way that we can improve our life and the life of others,” Fuentes continued. “That’s my main inspiration: how to make other people’s lives easier with technology.”
With these new requirements of college, Fuentes described his experience as a first-generation college student like a roller coaster.
“Being a first gen feels like a blind roller coaster because you don’t know what is coming, and everything is new,” Fuentes expressed.
Fuentes successfully navigated the challenges of being a first-generation student through getting involved at Tennessee Tech. He was a committee member for Intercultural Affairs in 2023, and he was involved in Tech’s Motorsports Formula Team, where he was the design co-director and the data acquisition leader in 2020-2021. Fuentes is currently a teaching assistant and has been an undergraduate research assistant previously. He also served as the Region 5 Vice-Regional Student Representative for Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) from 2023-2024.
“I moved from the President position here at Tech to the Sub-Regional Representative Student position where I served other chapters across the nation,” Fuentes revealed. “I was very lucky to support Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.”
Carlos Galindo, Tennessee Tech’s Outreach Coordinator for the Millard Oakley STEM Center, and Harry Ingle, Executive Director of Student Affairs and First-Generation Student Success at Tech, is one of his key mentors in his academic career, Fuentes said. While his family had a savings account to help cover his education, but he later found out it was not going to be able to cover the entire cost of his tuition. He thought that his first semester at Tech would be his last – until he met Harry Ingle.
“Dr. Harry Ingle allowed me to find ways to communicate my work ethic, the projection I had academically at the time, and talk with the right people,” Fuentes explained. “Dr. Ingle opened the door for me to stay at Tech, and I am very grateful for that.”
Along with academic involvement, he highlights a few places he found community on campus.
“Something that I really like about Tech is that we have very good programs, but we have this sense of community within our students and faculty members,” Fuentes pointed out. “It is very easy to find groups that are very open and very nice to you, so I found a club that aligned with my interests and helped me start connecting with more people.”
The friendships he was able to foster enhanced his experience at Tech.
“As everything was new for me, I found a very good group of friends that understood me and supported me to have a very smooth transition from Mexico to here,” said Fuentes. “They helped me with my homework, how to write an e-mail, how to talk with a professor, how to speak professionally, and also how to find resources.”
He also did a co-op with Cummins Jamestown Engine Plant, where he was the plant quality engineer. Fuentes gained a worldwide perspective of how manufacturing plants worked and equipped him with the tools for the future. After he graduates from Tech in December, Fuentes has some big plans.
“Right now, the future looks like I will be doing an MBA next year, and I will be joining Cummins as a project coordinator, helping the global warranty team and leadership,” Fuentes reported. “I am very excited about that. My goal for my personal career is to enable technology that will help us enjoy life.”
Fuentes reflects on his experience at Tech with gratitude. He proudly motivates other first-generation students to pursue their education and their dreams.
“Acknowledge that you have all the tools that you need for the opportunities that you are facing,” Fuentes encouraged. “We all have the same seven days every week and the same 24 hours – it’s just how you manage your time in order to achieve whatever you want to achieve.”
