About Juan Gonzalez

EXPERIENCE
Engineering Coach — UTRGV · Aug 2026 – Present
Pearson Campus Ambassador · Aug 2026 – Present
Job Shadow — TEDSI Infrastructure Group · Aug 2026
PLTL Leader — UTRGV Learning Center · Jan – May 2026
Assistant Installer — TOPLINE Seamless Gutter Installation · Jun – Dec 2025
Crew Member, Kitchen — McDonald's
Member — ASCE, UTRGV Chapter

EDUCATION
B.S. Civil Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley · Expected Spring 2028 · Minor in Information Systems (in progress)
Completed: Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Civil Engineering Materials, Fluid Mechanics & Hydraulics, Environmental Engineering, Calculus III
In progress (Fall 2026): Structural Analysis I, Transportation Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Water Resources Engineering

HOW IT CONNECTS

McDonald's → ownership, workflow, communication, and quality under time pressure
TOPLINE → the same habits applied on real construction jobsites
ASCE Timber-Strong → engineering design connected to building and load testing
Laboratory work → technical and quality-control judgment
Engineering Coach and team projects → communication and working with people
Next → construction and project management

Engineering Coach | Academic Coaching for Excellence (ACE), UTRGV 

Since August 2026, I have worked as an academic coach in UTRGV's Academic Coaching for Excellence program, meeting one-on-one with students, including engineering students.

My contribution

  • Help students build study strategies, time management, and academic plans
  • Help students identify obstacles and set concrete next steps
  • Point students to campus resources such as tutoring

What I'm learning: to listen first, ask the right questions, and help someone else own their plan instead of handing them answers.

Pearson Campus Ambassador | UTRGV 

Since August 2026, I have served as a campus ambassador for Pearson, a remote role connecting UTRGV students with Pearson's learning resources.

My contribution

  • Campus outreach about digital learning tools such as Pearson+, MyLab, and Mastering
  • Help classmates find tools that support their courses
  • Share student feedback with Pearson teams

What I'm learning: to explain a product clearly to peers and to bring their feedback back to the people who can act on it.

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Leader | UTRGV Learning Center

From January to May 2026, I led small-group workshops for students in mathematics courses, including Pre-Calculus and Calculus I.

My contribution

  • Guided collaborative problem-solving sessions
  • Reinforced course material and study habits
  • Supported students during office hours
  • Worked with faculty and the Learning Center to support student engagement

What I learned: a group works through a hard problem faster when every person has a part in it, which is the same thing I saw on a kitchen line and a jobsite crew.

TOPLINE Seamless Gutter Installation

Assistant Installer · Brownsville, TX · Jun – Dec 2025

Installed residential seamless gutter systems as part of a three-person crew, from roofline layout through installation, paying attention to alignment, slope, water-flow direction, and discharge routing on each jobsite.

My contribution

  • Took measurements so components fit and met project specifications
  • Checked alignment and positioning during installation
  • Set and maintained gutter slope for proper drainage
  • Followed the installation sequence so the finished system worked as intended
  • Worked with hand and power tools and handled materials on active jobsites
  • Adjusted to each site's roofline and conditions while keeping to the day's schedule
  • Followed safety practices while working on ladders and rooflines

What I learned: measurements, alignment, slope, material fit, and installation sequence all decided whether the finished system performed as intended.

This was construction and installation work, not engineering design.

McDonald's

Crew Member, Kitchen · Cook, breakfast and grill

I started at McDonald's as a cook on breakfast and grill and had to learn the job from the ground up. I decided the job deserved my full effort, and over time I became someone my crew could depend on.

My contribution

  • Learned the kitchen stations and ran Side 2 on my own
  • Moved to whichever side was falling behind, including dropping extra batches on the grill to help it catch up
  • Told the grill and fryer early when meat, chicken, or nugget trays were running low, so the next step was never caught short
  • Split large bundle orders between the two sides so items were built at the same time instead of one after another
  • Adjusted production when an order was canceled, using what had already been made instead of starting over
  • Set up my station, such as laying out wrappers in sequence, so I could build faster
  • Kept speed and quality together: correct, cleanly wrapped orders, not rushed ones

What I learned: to see the kitchen as one system. Finishing my own station was never the goal; keeping the whole operation moving was. I led by knowing the work and pitching in, not by title.

"I hope people leave this page feeling that they know more about me as a person, not just as an engineering student."

Juan Gonzalez