Interview with Cardinal Newman Fellow Diego Salcido

Diego Salcido is Cardinal Newman Fellow here as part of the inaugural class of CatholicTech!

Briefly describe some of your background – where are you from, what was your undergraduate experience like, and how did you hear about CatholicTech? 
I am from San Antonio, and I graduated from Thomas Aquinas College with a bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts. As soon as I graduated I decided to come to CatholicTech, so I really only had the summer off before starting school again. I heard about the school from our career advisor, and I was referred by another student at TAC, James McCann, who is also a Newman Fellow here and had already submitted his application at the time. 

What made you decide to accept the Fellowship? How would you describe your experience in the Fellowship so far? Do you have a favorite class? 
The fact that is a Catholic STEM school was the thing that drew me the most to apply to CatholicTech, because I knew I wanted to go into STEM after graduating from TAC but I feared that I would lose the communal aspect I had in my college experience and I wouldn’t have the religious education and/or spiritual formation to support my time in college. I saw CatholicTech as a good opportunity to continue to have some of the things that I enjoyed the most during my tenure at TAC, although now with a STEM education. 

The Fellowship has been a good experience! It hasn’t felt like a repetition of my undergraduate experience at Thomas Aquinas, this has felt more like a graduate-level experience, where I’m being introduced into STEM but I have more responsibilities not only as a founding member of the student body but also a founding member of the school. I like that we have more responsibilities and that more is expected of us as adults and people with experience, already having an undergraduate experience. All of the classes so far have been great, so it’s hard to pick a favorite. They’ve all had their “shining moments” that made them great; I really enjoy math, so calculus has been fun, and I really enjoyed computer science last term, and learning Italian as well was a great experience. 

What are some areas of research that interest you for your plans after CatholicTech, and what program are you majoring in at CatholicTech?
I like studying how Thomistic Aristotelian philosophy is still pertinent and would still greatly benefit research in modern applications in science. I’m also interested in research in astrophysics, like some of the things that Professor Negreiros studies, like detecting gravitational waves, and anything having to do with Relativity. I’m still undecided for my major, but I’m thinking about choosing between Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science. 

What has been your favorite experience so far at CatholicTech and in Italy? What are you looking forward to the most at the start of this term? 
That’s a hard question, but I like being able to experience first hand how a university is founded, and I like that we’re setting the tone for future generations of students to come. I like how we have a unique relationship with the faculty that some future students might not be able to have to the same extent that we do. My favorite experience has probably been being able to live abroad in a country like Italy. I have really enjoyed the culture and getting to know it – trying new foods, learning the language and customs, and the excitement of the unfamiliarity of a place I had never been to. Also learning how to live in an unfamiliar place has been a really good learning opportunity. I’m looking forward to continuing to get to know Italian culture, learning the language, taking more advanced courses here, and discovering more opportunities for the future in my professional career.