From NJIT to NASA, Roberto Saenz Wants to Inspire Future Generations with His Story
Roberto Saenz, winner of the first-ever Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Council (HLLC) scholarship, wants to one day be an administrator at NASA and design his own spacecraft.
Saenz, a first generation Mexican-American from Union City, N.J., is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Applied Mathematics.
He’s currently in his second year at NJIT after transferring from Passaic County Community College. Although he had the opportunity to study out of state, he selected to remain in New Jersey to be close to friends and family and because NJIT offers a rigorous engineering program ranked in the top 100 nationally.
As the eldest of his siblings, he’s one of his family’s financial pillars. “I didn't want to go out of state for university because I wanted to be there for my family because I am one of the financial pillars at home, so I want to make sure that they have the support they deserve,” said Saenz.
Saenz's mother's selflessness to those in need had a huge impact on his growth and outlook.
He’s especially interested in community outreach and pre-college efforts, and it’s one of the reasons why he’s the director of Community Outreach for NJIT’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).
“I'll make sure to instill those characteristics that she has in helping others out, doing things with love, not just helping out because there's something in it for you, but because you actually want to help out to make a change.”
After his undergraduate career at NJIT, Saenz wants to enter the space industry after obtaining a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in space exploration and earth monitoring.
His interest in NASA and building spacecrafts started when his uncle introduced him to the Discovery Channel. “He would come to our apartment, and he introduced us to the Discovery Channel. And from there, I saw a bunch of documentaries with him and my family, which are some of the best moments growing up because it was like, ‘Hey, we can do this!’”
One of the documentaries that impacted him the most was one where they showed how NASA builds space shuttles, and in 2019 he interned at NASA with eight other students from Passaic County Community College.
To experience that internship at NASA further motivated Saenz to become an example for other young Hispanics that can look up to him and feel confident that landing a job at NASA is possible.
“I want to be able to shift that perspective and encourage and motivate other Hispanics and show them, así se hace, this is how you do it. Si le echas ganas, if you put in the work, anything is possible,” he said.
Saenz is currently in a workforce preparation program co-sponsored by NASA and Arizona State University called L'SPACE Academy, Lucy Student Pathway Accelerator and Competency Enabler, which consists of two academies: the Mission Concept Academy and the NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience Academy. Both academies focus on developing fundamental team-based qualities in teams composed of students from all different backgrounds and majors.
In the program, the Ronald E. McNair scholar has acted as deputy project manager and budget officer in team projects he’s been involved in. One of his projects involved the exploration of cave systems on Mars and how colonization on that planet could begin.
I have no doubt that during his lifetime no matter what career path he chooses after obtaining a Ph.D. he will be a success and leave his mark.
“In the short time I have known Roberto Saenz he impressed me with his work ethic, dedication, ambition and behavior throughout the summer of 2022, as he was part of the McNair Summer Research Program,” said assistant director of the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program, Ms. Zara P. Williams. “He is bright, articulate, intellectually inquisitive, has excellent communication skills and is a compassionate individual with a strong sense of leadership."
As he keeps climbing, he always takes the time to remember how important his mom and family’s sacrifices have been for him to achieve his goals.
“They’re the reason,” he said. “I just want to make my mom proud. All the stuff she sacrificed, it was a lot, but I’ll make sure it’s worth it.
“This is for them.”
