Rutgers SHPE Alumni Spotlight
SHE Shines
About Luis T. Coronel
My time with SHPE Rutgers, especially as Community Outreach Director, was a turning point in my leadership journey. It gave me my first true platform to design outreach programs like the Shadow Program, that connect with underrepresented communities in STEM, and witness the ripple effect of creating opportunity.Beyond that it was about building bridges between academia and communities that often feel furthest from it. Those experiences became the foundation for everything I’ve done since. At Microsoft, they shaped my work with HOLA, where I expanded those same principles to empower professionals and students across the U.S. and Latin America. And now with LEAD, I’ve been able to scale that vision globally, creating mentorship networks and pathways for the next generation of leaders in Peru and soon LATAM.I believe being part of organizations like SHE (SHPE) provides students, especially those who are first generation, with a new mindset for the future. The relationships you build, the skills you develop, and the communities you touch will shape the leader you become.
Cloud Solutions Architect · Microsoft
- Community Outreach Director
My time with SHPE Rutgers, especially as Community Outreach Director, was a turning point in my leadership journey. It gave me my first true platform to design outreach programs like the Shadow Program, that connect with underrepresented communities in STEM, and witness the ripple effect of creating opportunity.
“If I were to share a piece of advice to those reading this or to myself back in 2015 when I first joined SHPE and was the kid in the back of the PRCC room: lean in fully. Volunteer for the hard projects, step into roles that push you outside your comfort zone, and see every event not just as an activity, but as a chance to inspire someone’s future. The work you do now may spark opportunities for others that you’ll never fully see, and that is the real legacy of leadership that you can leave behind.”