It was his second semester after transferring to UNLV. The semester prior, Justin Negron went one-for-two with his courses, barely coasting by with a C in Engineering Economics and flat-out failing Physics I for STEM.

This semester seemed no different; Negron retook physics and was on track to fail the class once more. Negron met with the advisor, intending to discuss new career paths and options, but his advisor had a different plan in mind.

By the end of his second semester Negron had a 1.14 GPA and was placed on academic probation. Early intervention and support from the College of Engineering Advising Center led to an impressive turnaround. Negron would go on to attain a dual degree along with first-place success in the capstone Senior Design Competition — not once, but twice.

Negron’s story offers inspiration for fellow and future engineering students, proving that they, too, can make it happen, no matter what.

How One Rebel Made 'It' Happen

“I had just transferred [from Nevada State College] to UNLV for mechanical engineering,” Negron said. “I struggled with both of my classes, but physics? I struggled a lot.”

Reality quickly hit Negron when he saw his transcript from his first semester at UNLV. Negron found out he didn’t meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, a warning that if he didn't pull his GPA up, he could lose his financial aid. But when he took another crack at physics the following semester, he found himself running into the same hurdle.

“I went back to PHYS 180 with a different professor, but I still wasn’t quite cutting it. That’s when I had the wonderful meeting with Shae.”

Shae Deschutter, associate director of academic advising for the college, works with engineering students when their GPAs drop below a 2.0.

“When we met, he was taking PHYS 180 for a second time and still wasn’t doing well,” said Deschutter. “He was questioning if engineering was a good fit for him. I suggested that he drop the class that semester with a plan to take it a third time. I said something like ‘If it doesn't go well next time, I would be happy to discuss other possible majors with you, but let's see how this class goes.’”

After discussing different learning styles, study methods, and tutoring resources with Deschutter, Negron felt ready to take on the dreaded PHYS 180 a third time.

“I made physics my No. 1 priority because I knew that third attempt was my last. I remember as a kid, others had dreams like ‘I want to be a firefighter,’ or ‘I want to be a police officer.’ I always wanted to be an engineer. They’re innovative, they’re creative, they invent new things out of nothing, out of their mind. Failing physics would have made that dream disappear.”

He faced PHYS 180 his last time, attending every office hour and working through every practice problem until he had the material down.

“I went into hyper-focus mode. I remember staying on campus until sunset, and I’d still be doing the exercises.”

His tenacity paid off. On his third attempt, Negron earned a passing grade and gained a new outlook on his career path. He was confident in his engineering future, but perhaps he needed to consider another concentration within the field.

“Honestly, I had originally chosen mechanical engineering because I love dirt bikes; I’d been riding and racing since I was a kid. But one topic in PHYS 180 I just could not understand was heat transfer, and my professor said if I became a mechanical engineer, that would be the rest of my life. I didn’t think it was for me.”

New Concentration, Same Destination

In need of a new concentration, Negron hearkened back to his other childhood love: his first computer. “I saved $10 a day — which my dad matched — for my first computer,” Negron recalled. “I built it, and it turned on immediately.”

Negron remembers hand-picking compatible components and assembling the computer by himself, accomplishing the feat on his first try. He calls this one of his proudest achievements, sparking a love for engineering that would stay with him throughout his life.

At UNLV, there are two computer-related engineering concentrations: computer engineering and computer science. Which should he choose?

Negron knew that computer science would provide career paths into software development and programming, while computer engineering’s core focus is on the hardware and circuitry powering computer systems.

“I met with an advisor to discuss my options. I wanted computer science for the opportunity, but I wanted computer engineering for the passion. He asked me ‘Are you sure you want both?’”

Negron was.

Double majoring added two years to his college career, but that additional experience led to internships and then his first full-time job at Bank of America, which he started in January.

“It's a great story,” Deschutter said. “To go from being on academic probation and questioning his capabilities, to earning two degrees. I think it's an inspiring story about perseverance and what our students can achieve if they keep persisting.”

Not only was Deschutter impressed with Negron’s success in his coursework, but also his ability to translate what he learned in the classroom to real-world applications for the college's Senior Design Competition.

From Theory to Practice

The Senior Design Competition challenges every graduating senior to translate the knowledge they learned in the classroom into commercially viable prototypes that are then judged by an industry panel. Because of his double major, Negron had two projects to create — one for computer science and one for computer engineering.

For his computer science project, Negron and his team created the University Discord Bot. “The problem was Discord is basically an anonymous platform,” he said. “Students love it because it’s modern, it’s a great way to collaborate with your classmates. But teachers didn't like it, because they couldn't find out who was causing misconduct. We wanted to create a middle ground, where teachers can at least have control over their official Discord server.”

While the University Discord Bot was ingenious in its own right, Negron says his computer engineering project had a little more of a wow-factor.

“Even before we had a definite idea, we knew we wanted some sort of robotics design. At first, we thought about a drone that would target insects with high-powered lasers. But we ran into issues, like properly balancing a laser on a drone and getting around government regulations for the laser.”

Everyday hurdles for engineers; back to the drawing board until an idea stuck. They landed on reimagining NASA rovers.

“A problem that we have in space exploration is we have large machines that are controlled by a room full of people, and then they get stuck. So how can we automate the exploration process and reduce production costs?”

Their answer was a swarm of small robots.

Negron’s team created the Autonomous Robot Swarm, a system of at least four small robots that communicate with each other. They can locate one another through triangulation, and if one finds a point-of-interest, it can guide the others toward it.

And this whole process, Negron explained, can take place with little-to-no human guidance. “It was awesome! Who wouldn’t be excited to work with four robots that look like little tanks? We had a lot of people coming up to us and asking questions while we were debugging in the grass.”

By the time he crossed the stage at Thomas & Mack during the December 2023 commencement, Negron’s accolades included a 3.32 overall GPA, two first-place Senior Design awards, a full-time job offer in a new state, and a success story to motivate students that would follow.

“I thought about quitting at times. But standing here today, knowing what I went through to get here, I’m glad I never did.”