GradTrack Launches Fourth Year, Shaping the Future of Graduate STEM Education

GradTrack is an online mentoring initiative designed to empower junior and senior undergraduates from across the U.S. to excel in academic, professional, and research pursuits while fostering a commitment to broadening participation in engineering. Scholars participate in eight online meetings from August to December, gaining exclusive networking opportunities with Purdue Graduate Students and developing competitive application documents for graduate school or summer research opportunities.

A group image of the engineering acadmeic career club
GradTrack mentors gather at the mentor training kickoff, ready to inspire and guide the next generation of graduate students.

As GradTrack enters its fourth year, the program continues to broaden participation in graduate education by preparing undergraduates, building community, and advancing professional development. Recently honored as the 2023 CoNECD Program of the Year, GradTrack aligns with Purdue College of Engineering's Mission 2023, which aims to create the largest, best-prepared, and most diverse engineering talent pool in the nation by 2030.

Over the past three years, the program has supported 10 mentees who have earned the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), along with other distinguished awards such as the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and GEM Fellowships. Notably, 70% of GradTrack graduates are pursuing advanced degrees, with nearly one in three continuing their studies at Purdue. The 2024 cohort includes mentees from over 55 leading universities, guided by 26 dedicated Purdue Engineering graduate student mentors who make a significant impact on graduate education.

We extend our sincere thanks to our mentors and their supportive faculty members—your invaluable contributions are making a lasting impact on the future of graduate education.

For more information, visit www.engr.purdue.edu/gradtrack

Graduate Student Mentor: School: Faculty member:
Fernando Aguilera de Alba Biomedical Engineering Michael Heinz
Antonio Alvarez Valdivia Mechanical Engineering Laura Blumenschein
Joreen Arigye Engineering Education Senay Purzer
Lexy Arinze Civil Engineering, Engineering Education Kirsten Davis
Bereket Bekele Chemical Engineering Rajamani Gounder
Tania Class Martinez Chemical Engineering Rajamani Gounder
Jordan Cross Civil Engineering Brandon Boor and Nusrat Jung
Aliya Ehde Environmental and Ecological Engineering Caitlin Proctor
Emily Garcia Industrial Engineering Zachary J. Hass
Marina Garcia Civil Engineering Mirian Velay-Lizancos
Debraliz Isaac-Aragones Mechanical Engineering Justin Weibel
Eugene Mahmoud Engineering Education Joyce Main
Samantha Mata Robles Biomedical Engineering Jacqueline Linnes
Juan Mesa Biomedical Engineering Hugh Lee
Jesus Meza Aeronautics and Astronautics Alina Alexeenko
Nimota Nasiru Engineering Education Khairiyah Mohd- Yusof
Jose Alfredo Ocegueda Barraza Industrial Engineering Ramses V. Martinez
Jose Rivas Mechanical Engineering Andres Arrieta
Orlando Rivera Gonzalez Mechanical Engineering Xiulin Ruan and Justin Weibel
Mikayla Roach Biomedical Engineering Deva Chan
Raquel Ruiz Civil Engineering Julio Ramirez
Diamarys Salome Rivera Chemical Engineering Rajamani Gounder
Alex Santiago Vargas Electrical and Computer Engineering Dimitrios Peroulis
Angel Santiago-Colon Chemical Engineering Rajamani Gounder
Paula Sarmiento Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Dianne Little
Makena Thompson Mechanical Engineering David Warsinger and Davide Ziviani
A group image of the engineering acadmeic career club
A full house at the first GradTrack meeting! 114 mentors and mentees joined together to start their journey toward success in graduate education.