Fernando Hinojosa, BP Public Policy Fellow
Hometown: Pearland, Texas
School: The University of Texas Tyler
Degree: B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Placement 1: U.S. Senate Committee on Financial Services
Placement 2: American Petroleum Institute
Fernando Hinojosa was born in Houston, TX and was raised in Alvin, TX after his parents immigrated to the United States from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He is the first person in his family to graduate from an institution of higher education, graduating from The University of Texas at Tyler with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
Seeing low numbers of Latinos in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields motivated Fernando to seek challenging opportunities where his skills could be displayed. During his undergraduate career, he completed multiple internships at companies such as Chevron, Cummins, and TerraVici Drilling. As a junior, Fernando was elected to serve as an Engineering Senator for the University of Texas at Tyler. Additionally, he is the only student to have served on the Board of The American Petroleum Institute-Young Professionals Chapter as the Finance Chair.
Inspiring Latinos to thrive in STEM fields is what motivates Fernando. As a CHCI Public Policy Fellow, Fernando hopes to work with leaders in order to gain a deeper understanding of legislation and to incorporate his Engineering background into public policy that directly affects Latinos in STEM.