Internship: Water and Sewer Authority In Trinidad and Tobago
Preferred Industry: Oil and Gas
Aspiring Companies: BP and Shell
Most challenging course: Modeling and Control of Robots.
” It was difficult to grasp certain concepts and I had to ‘dig’ deep to do well in the course.”
The sand beneath his feet, he was ready to plunge into the ocean on a hot sunny summer day. Nothing meant more to him than being able to chill at the beach every day. This island living had him hooked. He knew in his heart that after completing his bachelor’s degree in the United States, the only place that he could embrace as home would be his solace at home on his small island. In his mind, this island boy’s life was all that mattered. “A boy from the island as some may say.” Riyadh Fingal was born and raised on the sunny island of Trinidad and Tobago. He is 24 years of age and identifies as an Afro-Trinidadian. He migrated to the United States to complete his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. His years in college were hard and required tremendous work and long hours of studying, but he somehow persevered because it was his dream- to be the greatest Mechanical Engineer ever. Not just any engineer but one that returned to his birthplace to pour his expertise back into their economy.
He said, “It is eye-opening really.” Every day you are reminded about how hard you have to work to be here.”
Memorable Moment: Completing my Final Engineering project with my group members. Stress and hard work finally paid off. Success never tasted sweeter!
Practicality is key.
Life is for living and school allowed me to expand my knowledge and experience in life in ways that I did not know before. When asked if anything was holding him back from his full potential, Mr. Fingal said, “Nothing is holding me back from my full potential, I hope I get to help others with solving societal problems in my career.” Knowledge is to be shared, expanded and used for greatness. Memorable Moment: Finishing my Final Engineering project with my group members. Stress and hard work finally paid off. Success never tasted sweeter!
Reflections of Undergrad
Inspiration
Mr. Fingal believes college has prepared him in many ways so that he can be an asset to the company where he will land his first job.
One way he believes that college has helped him to be a successful professional is through opportunities such as Engineering clubs, which gave him a glimpse of what it is like to field in his field.
In his words, nothing in your career will matter most, one thing matters most to me and that is networking. That is what it all comes down to- ‘Networking is Key.’ Possibly, this is how I will land my first job. Who knows?
Mr. Fingal’s, inspiration to study Mechanical Engineering came to life because he always saw the prospect of helping to solve problems and creating solutions as a key factor in any industry in today’s society.
During his years in undergrad at Florida International University (FIU), he learned that Engineering requires critical thinking and that made it a very interesting and exciting field for him.
He was able to garner skills such as leadership, patience, and confidence. These skills helped him to develop his sense of self-identity and how hard he had to work to persevere to the end.
This fact was his motivational mantra to never giving up no matter how hard school became. He earnestly depended on the support of his family and friends to keep him motivated and pushing through to the end.
DID YOU KNOW??
Mechanical Engineers in the United States typically make around $87,370 per year or $42.00 per hour according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, in Trinidad and Tobago Mechanical Engineers make around 300,000 Trinidad and Tobago dollars per year. I am sure you must be thinking what do those numbers mean? Well, 300,000 Trinidad & Tobago dollars is equivalent to about 44, 000 US dollars. In the Caribbean, that income is considered as a great way to live a comfortable life.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm
