About ME

My name is Jairo Yobani Maldonado-Contreras and I am a senior at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) majoring in mechanical engineering. When I am not studying or researching I enjoy reading, playing soccer and promoting diversity in STEM via the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

I am originally from Santa Maria, CA, a small town in Central California known for its awesome strawberries. I come from a family of two, consisting of my mother and I. My mother worked the strawberry fields to get me through school. I have been able to succeed in college by emulating her impeccable work ethic.

I aim to pursue a career in which I leverage my robotics skills to better the world. My prior work has involved developing rehabilitative technology for amputees and post-stroke patients at CSULB and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. My most recent work has involved building complex robots at MIT and NASA JPL. Feel free to explore my projects within the Projects tab.

RECENT NEWS:

• Selected as CSULB College of Engineering’s top graduating student for 2019: https://www.csulb.edu/alumni/distinguished-alumni/celebrating-excellence

• Featured on the CSULB College of Engineering website: http://web.csulb.edu/colleges/coe/news/?p=12804#more-12804

• Awarded the GEM Fellowship, sponsored by MIT Lincoln Laboratory

• Recognized as CSULB College Assistance Migrant Program’s Student of the Year 2017: https://www.slideshare.net/JairoMaldonado15/camp-student-of-the-year