Veronica Calzadilla Sosa transferred from Miami Dade College in Florida to MIT as an incoming second‑year student majoring in chemical engineering. Encouraged by a friend, she joined MIT’s chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), serving first as competition chair and then as vice president of external relations, working to expand the team’s presence in the institute’s contests.
When she arrived, MIT participated in only one AIChE event. Today the campus competes in three categories: ChemE Cube (building a miniature plant that fits inside a one‑cubic‑foot space), ChemE Jeopardy (a trivia showdown) and ChemE Sports (optimizing a virtual chemical process). She also captained MIT’s inaugural ChemE Sports team, collaborating with two first‑year students to optimize a distillation column at the regional competition, where they placed second.
These experiences taught her that engineering is more than technical knowledge; it is about teamwork, tackling unfamiliar problems, and creating opportunities for peers who might otherwise not participate.
As an immigrant, she joked about being a “sophomore for the third time.” In her first chemical engineering class she attended office hours regularly, only to discover many classmates struggled with the same concepts. Those shared challenges sparked conversations, friendships, and a support network, reinforcing her belief that community often forms through collective struggle.
Her internships span the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (analyzing toxic elements in food), Jacobs (water and wastewater infrastructure), Convatec (materials engineering for medical devices), and Folia Materials (materials chemistry/chemical engineering). She has grown especially interested in energy systems and how existing resources and infrastructure can be used more efficiently, emphasizing the value of exploring multiple fields to clarify career interests.
Outside of academics she enjoys cooking, traveling, attending concerts and dance performances, and frequently returns to Cuba to reconnect with family and friends. As graduation approaches, she remains comfortable with uncertainty about her career path, eager to apply her education in industry and continue discovering new possibilities.
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