Third-year Mechanical Engineering student, Rafael Saltos, was recently named the president of the Guelph Engineering Society (EngSoc) for 2024-25. After joining EngSoc in his second year, Rafael found his passion for academic advocacy, creating an inclusive space for engineers and developing a strong community culture at U of G. Reflecting on this, Rafael says he wanted to run for president because he wanted to revitalize and improve the strong, tight-knit community.
“Engineering is a demanding program, so facilitating academic issues, hosting more events and giving people a fair opportunity to voice their concerns is at the top of my priorities,” he said. His passion for making a difference in the engineering community has only increased after winning the election.
As a high school student, Saltos was drawn to the University of Guelph because of the interdisciplinary design stream that was advertised. Although he accepted the offer for Mechanical Engineering, he was interested in learning about all different types of engineering disciplines and utilize his skills in other aspects.
“I was pleasantly surprised when I got to work with other majors in a team and learn about their methods of approaching a problem. I also knew that Guelph had a really cool campus and some of the best food in Canada,” says Saltos.
Reflecting on his time so far at U of G, Saltos says he wishes he had gotten involved earlier. “The relationships I've made within the Guelph engineering community will last forever and once I graduate I will be excited to continue those connections. U of G is a great place to go to school and furthermore, I can't speak more to how highly I think of our community”.
When asked about what the future holds for his presidency, Saltos highlighted fostering an open environment within U of G.
“Interacting with students is something that I am looking forward to because I want to hear the concerns and opinions of students,” says Saltos. “Making sure that engineering students know the effectiveness and importance of the engineering society is something that I am excited to show”.
