Meet Your TRAC Mentors | College of Engineering

Jacob Herzberg

Class of 2026

Major and/or minor: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Manhattan, NYC

What are your goals after finishing your undergrad? I’ll be attending graduate school in London at the Imperial College of London to earn my MSc in Mech Eng.
If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be? Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Clarkson, Barack Obama, and Shane Gillis.
On a scale of 1-10, how funny would you say you are? Probably a 6 but I have my moments where I’m like an 8.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? New York City 100%. I can’t imagine going through the majority of my life outside of the city I was raised in.
What is one piece of advice you wish you were given or known about starting at a new university? Take advantage of things like office hours, meetings with professors, and study groups. My dad likes to say “the squeaky wheels gets the oil first”, so don’t be afraid to “annoy” your professor with any questions you have. It’s always worth it.

Ludovica Pujia

Class of 2026

Major and/or minor: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Rome, Italy

What are your goals after finishing your undergrad? Pursuing a career in product management, building consumer goods, or AI-driven technology.
If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be? Larry Page and Sergey Brin (for insights on entrepreneurship)
Ada Lovelace (to discuss the origins of programming)
Robert Green (love all of his books about human behavior)
Einstein (to discuss how he made his ideas came to reality)
On a scale of 1-10, how funny would you say you are? Somewhere around a 7 or 8—I say concepts in funny ways whenever I translate from Italian to English and I have a sharp, observational sense of humor.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? Probably a tech hub like Boston, San Francisco, or Seattle, since they’re great for product innovation, robotics, and startups.
What is one piece of advice you wish you were given or known about starting at a new university? “Network early, experiment with side projects, and don’t be afraid to pivot.” Getting involved in hands-on projects and connecting with the right people early on can make a huge difference. Also, time management is key when balancing academics and startups.

Chloe Dang

Class of 2026

Major and/or minor: Biomedical Engineering

Hometown: Fremont, California

What are your goals after finishing your undergrad? I’m always aiming to improve healthcare and grow both my technical and soft skills. After graduating, I’ll be starting a position at a medical device company!
If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?

Prince (to talk to Weird Al)

Weird Al (to talk to Prince)

Amelia Earhart (to find out the truth)

Buddha

On a scale of 1-10, how funny would you say you are? Neither Dave Chappelle, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, nor Kevin Hart were voted “funniest” as their high school superlatives. And neither was I. So by inference, I’d say a 10.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? Wherever it’s sunniest, because the sun makes me happy.
What is one piece of advice you wish you were given or known about starting at a new university? That “networking” doesn’t mean having 500+ LinkedIn connections. It means having a great conversation with the person behind you in line at Pavement or Caffè Nero and you think you’ll never see them again- until you do.