Albert Chang

Albert Chang, a Seventh College Mechanical Engineering major, describes his college experience as part-time work by day, student by night. He spends 20+ hours a week working part-time as a computer repair technician to cover his cost of attendance. “Being accepted into college was a dream come true and I aim to graduate debt free.”

In order to attend college and pursue his passions, Albert developed efficient time management abilities and punctuality. “I am always excited for a challenge, using a blend of curiosity, grit, and teamwork to work closer towards developing impactful solutions.” Those traits have helped him receive Provost’s Honors for the four quarters he has been at UC San Diego.

Albert considers his greatest strength to be the ability to learn from failure and focus on what he can do. He uses this to grow stronger through every experience, incorporating past setbacks to improve his projects. His current efforts are directed towards climate change mitigation and hopes to share his experiences and work with others to solve this monumental problem. He accidentally stumbled into the world of environmental justice when he attended a webinar and thought environmentalism and social justice were separate concepts. While working with others passionate about environmental justice, Albert has been exposed to the broad concerns of climate change impacts on underserved communities.

Environmental justice has now become a core consideration and focus as Albert chooses to merge voices of traditional knowledge with modern technology. In the future, he aspires to be at the forefront of researching sustainable technology and grid infrastructure, with an end goal of developing equitable methods to fulfill the rising energy demands of the growing population. After earning his Bachelor’s degree, Albert’s goals are to receive a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD researching renewable energy.