51³Ô¹Ï

This piece is part of our Senior Stories series, in which we highlight GU 51³Ô¹Ïs throughout the year.

Name: Carlo Cortez

Major: Computer Engineering and Philosophy

Hometown: Maui, Hawaii

Enrollment into college – where young adults establish themselves in a new environment – guarantees everything, and nothing, all at once. Carlo Cortez, who graduates this year with a degree in computer engineering and philosophy, established himself on campus by complimenting his studies with Gonzaga’s extracurriculars. In four years, Carlo Cortez went from a struggling 51³Ô¹Ï in college to a beloved leader at Gonzaga.

“My general motto is I love learning,” Cortez says. “Seeing multiple views of the world helps create a better perspective as a whole.”

Cortez is a quiet overachiever with effective leadership, striving for others to reap benefits from their achievements beyond merely flattering applause. On top of the workload required as an engineering/philosophy 51³Ô¹Ï, Cortez flourishes with additional responsibilities at Gonzaga: club president for the National Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers; club council co-president for Gonzaga’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; standard technician for Gonzaga’s Next Gen Tech Bar; culinary chair for Gonzaga’s Filipino American Student Union.

If college campuses are a circus of intellectuals, Cortez is the perfect juggler. Whether he is on break eating lunch, delegating club meetings, taking midterm exams, socializing with friends, Cortez is juggling his responsibilities. Rumor has it, the man even juggles in his sleep!

In all seriousness, setting aside the organic chaos of college, the workload Cortez endures at Gonzaga draws a fine line between 51³Ô¹Ï and acrobat. Many people respect his capabilities. With his prestige among Gonzaga’s engineering department, Cortez eloquently speaks the language of data, systems and codes, and holds additional leverage in these presidential roles through his ethical leadership.

He sets an example for club participants, who must “coincide and work with one another to make things happen,” because according to Cortez, “everyone is a leader in their own sense, and the best leaders try to help their members become leaders.”

Beyond his leadership within Gonzaga's engineering clubs, Cortez puts special emphasis on his position with Gonzaga’s Filipino American Student Union. Here, achievement has been acquired on a personal level.

Freshmen in college are welcomed to campus by walking through doors held open by challenge. Growing up on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Cortez enrolled at Gonzaga excited to experience a different climate, then spent his freshman year wondering why this stark change of climate was not exclusive to the weather. Confronted by a true academic workload, a lack of immediate family, and longing for friends – not an unusual experience for a freshman – comfort was once a stranger to Cortez at Gonzaga.

Trudging through the mud of his freshman year, Cortez received a letter from his cousin, a familial bond that prompted him to redirect his approach. Cortez remembers his cousin writing: “Allow yourself to fail. If you're not willing to accept that, then there is no room to grow.”

Ultimately, Cortez explains, “I am a big person on family, not necessarily in terms of blood, but in a sense of community.” This letter from back home reminded Cortez: home resides inside people, not places.

The Filipino American Student Union generally meets in College Hall on Tuesday evenings. And among their many events dispersed around campus – movie nights, barbecues, fundraisers, camping trips – Cortez was the culinary chair, planning every menu, managing and prepping the kitchen, chatting with friends to embellish the time. Joining FASU his freshman year constructed the foundation of Cortez’s home, which has since been furnished by his experiences with beloved friends.

“The reason I wanted to be culinary chair is because I think food is a great way to bring people together.”

Collectively, FASU speaks volumes to this sentiment of community. The Barrio Fiesta, an event hosted in the spring, respects activities common to Filipino culture. An array of meals are shared, choreographed dances performed, and community becomes bonded from mouth to hip. Being culinary chair, Cortez found comfort in the challenge of supervising meals for the Barrio Fiesta – whether the food was delicious or not mattered less than overcoming the challenge and growing fond of its nature.

“I like creating spaces where other people can enjoy, feel safe, and prosper just as I have.”

With graduation around the corner, Cortez decided to step away from culinary chair role and simply relish the pleasure of membership. FASU is where Cortez first put in the reps strengthening his core identity – not as perfect juggler, nor engineering president – which is now humbly flexed through his persevering goodwill. Cortez grew healthier each year at Gonzaga by tending to his garden of nutrients. Developing software with fellow computer engineers, reciting Aristotle’s philosophy on ethics, collaborating with peers on campus, and ultimately being the productive friend he needed his freshman year.

“Growing up Filipino, a big part of our familial culture is centralized around taking care of each other, so a lot of us tend towards the healthcare industry,” Cortez explains.

The way Cortez grew up at home and flourished at Gonzaga will surely translate positively into his professional endeavors. With his diploma, Cortez plans to use his knowledge of computer engineering and philosophy to develop bio-electrical devices ethically within the medical field. In the meantime, Cortez continues laughing with his friends, eating late-night chipotle, remembering where home is.