2024-25 President's Scholars

Tom Solomon

Shelton Family President’s Scholar

Major: Computer Engineering

College of Engineering

Activities: Barkada; Southern California Engineering Technology Association (President); Tau Beta Pi; UMBRA (Avionics Team); UAV Banshee, Communications Team; Bronco Navigators mentor; IT Student Assistant

Tom is no stranger to the delicate balance of managing work, academics and free time. With his busy schedule, he is grateful to have CPP’s Barkada Filipino Culture Club as his key touchstone: “At our 34th annual Pilipino American Culture Night, I felt great pride as I performed on stage doing Eskrima, our national martial art. It’s moments like these that made the sacrifices and challenges of balancing academics and extracurriculars worthwhile, as they strengthen my connection with my family and heritage” he says. From his parents, he learned how education opens doors to opportunities, and he embraces all that CPP offers, including his membership on the communications team for CPP’s UAV Banshee team, where he worked with OpenCV, a programming library that allows the engineer to work with video. “This would be especially useful for blind people, because OpenCV can be used to detect objects, meaning that it could give them a better description of their surroundings.” Tom’s dream is to become an embedded software engineer and help create affordable devices that can assist the visually impaired and communities in need.