Alumni Spotlight: Julian Perez

This Alumni Spotlight Story was written by our Alumni Network Summer Intern, Annika Valdez, CAST Lead '27.

To say that Julian Perez has been busy since graduation from CAST Tech would be quite the understatement. Julian has been attending Trinity University where he studies Engineering Sciences with a concentration in both Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. He is also pursuing minors in mathematics, physics, and theatre. Additionally, Julian works as a tour guide on campus and at the university’s theater, both building/welding sets and sewing outfits for the plays. In Julian’s free time he's been doing research in Dr. Emma Treadway’s laboratory on haptics, and our sense of touch. For the past three summers, Julian has been vice president of two clubs: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Swing Dance Club.

Through all of his experiences since graduating from CAST Tech, Julian is most proud of being able to stick with engineering without compromising the humanities. Julian has been able to balance studying theater and staying active in every Mainstage production (along with several other plays at Trinity) while also writing and publishing a paper for an engineering conference. Staying connected to both his passion for theater and his dedication to engineering has given Julian the opportunity to travel around the country. From flying to Ohio for a research conference to preparing to travel to New York this summer to watch a production related to an upcoming play, Julian is proud that he never felt forced to give up one passion for another. Instead, he has been able to explore both passions fully and that has shaped Julian into a more creative engineer as well as a more analytical artist.

Julian explained, “Attending CAST has helped shape the way I think and the type of person I’ve become.” As a CAST student, Julian was encouraged to consider problems and approach them through collaboration, creativity and real world applications. Professionally, Julian believes CAST has not only given him the language and skills to evaluate products/designs/user interactions with usability in mind, but CAST has also strengthened his critical thinking abilities as he learned how to analyze complex issues from multiple perspectives. As a result of the experiences that he had as a student at CAST Tech, Julian feels that he became more confident in expressing his ideas. Julian adds that he developed a greater sense of initiative, which led to him being more aware, active and curious. Altogether, these experiences have motivated Julian to pursue opportunities in engineering research and interdisciplinary learning. 

In the near future, Julian is looking forward to running experiments and gathering more data for his second research paper, which focuses on air pressured silicone actuators and their potential. If the paper is accepted, Julian hopes to travel to Australia to present his research. Additionally, during the upcoming school year, Julian is excited to put on the production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” while also staying involved in IEEE and swing dance events. After Julian graduates in 2027, he hopes to pursue a PhD in robotics or human-robot interactions. Long term, he’d love to work for NASA or Southwest Research Institute where he can contribute to research and technology.