The San Diego Energy District is pleased to present three exceptional individuals as post-graduate fellows.

AURORA FERNANDA SEAMANDURAS SANTANA

Aurora is a 21 year old graduate of a B. E. in Renewable Energy from CETYS University and a B. A. in Management from City University of Seattle through a Double Degree program, finishing both degrees in June 2020. She is currently an Analyst Intern where her main responsibilities include people engagement, data gathering, sponsor communication, and aiding in the development of projects depending on current needs. 
She was born and raised in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico and then became a U.S. citizen. Being raised in the U. S. -Mexico border has given her a multicultural background that results crucial for potential binational projects and can be a great opportunity for projects in southern California. Her education in renewable energy and management combined make her a great candidate for the development of new projects.
Previously she was an engineer intern in TTN Energy and Telecommunications, a renewable energy project pre-development consultancy where she designed and simulated solar systems for residential projects and solar farms using PVSyst, SunDat and Sketchup, mostly working in a 31 MW project in Coahuila, Mexico. Besides this, she also sized and designed some Battery Energy Storage Systems for clients with high energy demand. She also volunteered in Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental, a non-profit in Tijuana focused on environmental education and sustainable projects, assisting in sponsor outreach, crowdfunding and project planning, ultimately helping in the development of a reforestation and community center project in her hometown
During her college years she had the opportunity to go to the university of Alcalá de Henares for a summer course about renewable energy sources where she learned about trending technologies in the energy sector. The Double Degree program allowed her to visit Seattle and Prague in two different summers to study and learn from experts in their topics and have a wider cultural background.
Aurora was algo part of an engineering student body as an Academic Link, after this she helped co-found and lead a sustainability student group called TerraVita to aid promote the CETYS Zero Waste program among students and impulse a more sustainable lifestyle for the entire campus population. Together with her team they organized a series of workshops and conferences regarding sustainability topics and tools. 

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ANDREA SALAS

Andrea Salas is 22 and recently graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Renewable Energy Engineering at CETYS University in Tijuana. She took a Double Degree Program with City University of Seattle, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Management. Being a US citizen living in a border town of Mexico has broadened her cultural perspective and appropriation, developing fluent bilingual capabilities from a young age.  
Andrea participated in the ENLACE bi-national summer research in engineering program at UC San Diego. She spent another summer studying Renewable Energy Sources at Universidad de Alcalá in Spain. She co-founded the TerraVita sustainability student group at CETYS and executed diverse marketing campaigns to promote sustainable practices on and off campus. 
Andrea has acquired work experience as an intern at GSE, an energy management company, where she analyzed and monitored electrical equipment (lighting, HVACs, freezers, etc.) and was in direct contact with clients in order to save on business energy costs while satisfying needs. Afterwards, she became an intern at the Environment, Health, and Safety department of Poly, a manufacturer of communication devices. Here she developed solar roof-top generation reports, as well as water and gas consumption reports. Also, she accomplished a project to implement an industrial recycling compartment that eliminated fifteen annual tons of CO2 emissions and extra costs by immensely reducing waste transportation travels. 
Andrea is currently an intern at the San Diego Energy District, where she coordinates sponsor development efforts and general organizational calendar. She aspires to work for decarbonization through clean energy, starting with the San Diego Area. She truly believes in sustainability and combines her business skills and renewable energy expertise in order to devote her efforts towards it. In the future, she will combat energy poverty by electrifying rural areas with renewable energy. 
You may contact her at andrea.salas@sandiegoenergydistrict.org

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SHADI AYOUBI

Shadi is a 22 year old graduate of a Bachelor of Arts in International Economics from the American University of Paris and the Sorbonne. He is finishing his 8th month as an intern in research in economic affairs at the United Nations - Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia headquarters, in Beirut, Lebanon. In August, he will be starting his MSc in Finance at the American University of Beirut (Chartered Financial Analyst level 3 equivalent). 
Shadi is particularly skillful in working with data, having created indexes on income and governance, as well as assisting in a published working paper on post-COVID poverty in the Arab region (end of page 2). Fluent in English, French, Arabic, and having studied Spanish and Italian for several years, he is already helping SDED with research on energy-efficient practices in Europe and reporting on the energy markets in the MENA region.
He is seeking to work as an analyst in the renewable energy sector, with his Economics and Finance background. Shadi wants to join SDED because he is devoted to helping develop their innovative ideas and to providing thorough analyses to the Executive board. He believes that sustainable development in all sectors depends on a fast energy-transition.

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