Commencement 2021 profile: Eduardo Gomez

When Eduardo Gomez arrived at Binghamton University, he was shocked by the size of it. Coming from the small town of Cairo, N.Y., he had to adjust fast to the lifestyle of a Binghamton student.

Gomez started out with the dream of studying biomedical engineering and becoming a doctor or surgeon. He always wanted to have options after he graduated. After the first month of classes, he quickly realized the medical path was not for him.

“I found industrial and systems engineering and thought it was really fascinating. I still did not have an exact clue of what I wanted to do, but I liked being able to apply my skills anywhere,” he said.

The benefit of ISE, Gomez said, is that you can work with a variety of different industries. Everything is complex and works off of a system. Industries that Gomez found the most intriguing when first looking into his major were healthcare and technology.

In his first year as a student at the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering, Gomez struggled to adjust to college and the classes that were harder than high school. It took him a little while to figure out which path he wanted to pursue.

A lot changed for him in his first spring semester at Binghamton. He attended a meeting for minorities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and instantly felt like he belonged. He decided to join the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) on campus.

“Everybody was so welcoming,” he said. “They were including me in everything and inviting me to events and adding me to the Groupme. It made me feel welcomed and like I was part of a bigger family.”

He enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to get more involved and help the organization grow. That first spring, he decided to run for the organization’s executive board and got the position as secretary. In the past couple of years alone, the organization has been able to double both its budget and membership. He currently is the president and works with the executive board to help the organization make its members feel included.

“We want to help people and give them that little bit of confidence to accomplish the next big chapters in their lives,” he said.

Gomez believes that it is because of SHPE that he gained the confidence to come out to his family and friends — but he did not stop there in creating safe environments for minorities to feel powerful and proud to be who they truly are. This past year, Gomez helped to co-found Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (oSTEM), a campus-wide group that focuses on students in the LGBTQ+ community studying for STEM careers.

Gomez found students sometimes find it hard to discuss their true selves with professors or classmates because it is not something that comes up very often. There was a lack of LGBTQ+ organizations on campus, and none in STEM.

He hopes that with the addition of organizations such as oSTEM, the University can ensure that everyone finds where they belong on campus just like he did.

“I wanted to leave Binghamton making a difference in giving people what they need,” he said.

“We were able to create a type of community where there is someone like you, and where you can feel empowered and feel safe to be who you are,” he said. “We want people to have the confidence to be amazing in the world.”

Through University supporting organizations, influential people helped Gomez achieve these accomplishments. Gomez acknowledges the help of staff members such as assistant deans Elizabeth Kradjian and Monica Majors Guient from the Watson Dean’s Office and Q Center Director Kelly Clark, who shared ideas on how to connect people and support organizations such as oSTEM and SHPE.

The future is bright for Gomez. He is earning his bachelor’s degree in May and staying next year to get his master’s in systems science through Watson’s 4+1 degree program. This summer, he will intern with IBM Corp. for the second year in its Summit Program to gain more experience in technical sales and solutions.

After getting his master’s, he is hoping to work with a big technology company like IBM in product development and sales, gaining the experience needed to build his own startup company.