The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022 - 35

Student Profile
Charlie Vidal
President, Gama Alpha Chapter
Manhattan College
Charlie Vidal, an Electrical Engineering major with
concentrations in Power Grids and Green Energy
Engineering, is president of the IEEE-HKN Gamma
Alpha Chapter at Manhattan College. He is working
with his fellow officers and members to revive the
Chapter since COVID-19 had completely halted
all its activities. Additionally, the team is working to
build the foundation to set up for next year's Officer
Board. A resident of Brooklyn, NY, Charlie has held
internships at and received an offer of full-time
employment from Meyers+. He is a member of the
Epsilon Sigma Pi Honor Society. Charlie is constantly
trying to improve himself. He loves to cook. Initially,
he wanted to learn to be able to survive. But, as he
became more comfortable, he learned new recipes
for fun. Among his favorites, are curry chicken, pasta
with vodka sauce, pão de queijo, yuca pancakes,
enchiladas, birria tacos, and huevos rancheros. He
hopes to move onto Japanese cuisine next.
Why did you choose to study the engineering
field (or the particular field you are studying)?
I was first interested in the electrical field at a young
age as my father was an electrician. I knew I wanted
to do something in the same area, and as I knew
I was good at mathematics and had taken courses
in high school related to ECE such as robotics and
web programming and design, I decided to try
electrical engineering.
What do you love about engineering?
I honestly love how straight-forward it is. With every
question, there is an answer. I admire the great
thinkers who go into the arts, political science,
psychology, and theoretical physics because of the
creativity needed for those fields, but I am a rightbrain
thinker that uses logic and reasoning to come
up with an answer, so engineering just makes sense
to me.
What don't you like about engineering?
I do not like the stigma that engineering, or any other
STEM major has, about being " hard. " You do not pick
up a pencil and become the next Picasso, nor do
you have a thought and become the next Aristotle.
Engineering requires work and dedication, just like
any other major. As long as you are truly dedicated
and passionate about completing your degree, you
will do just fine.
What is your dream job?
My dream job is to own my own business. By being
a Master License Electrician and completing my
PE, I would be able to connect both construction
and engineering and start up my own company. It
would be very tough and would only be possible to
consider when I'm in my late 20s or early 30s, but
that doesn't mean it's impossible.
Whom do you admire (professionally and/or
personally) and why?
Frankly, I admire lazy/carefree people. I give myself
too many responsibilities and try so hard that I've
come to the point where I want to live a happy,
easy-going life without any worries. What's not to love
about that? I try to follow that lifestyle by developing
code on my computer to automate processes. One
quote that truly speaks to me and I highly relate to
is something Bill Gates once said: " I choose a lazy
person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will
find an easy way to do it. "
Profile Continued on page 36
HKN.ORG
35
https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 2, 2022

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