{"id":72520,"date":"2025-12-07T09:35:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T14:35:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/?p=72520"},"modified":"2025-12-15T16:12:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T21:12:44","slug":"hard-work-late-nights-and-an-unshakable-dream-julio-gonzalezs-road-to-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/hard-work-late-nights-and-an-unshakable-dream-julio-gonzalezs-road-to-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"Hard work, late nights and an unshakable dream: Julio Gonzalez\u2019s road to commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Julio

At 32 years old, electrical engineering major Julio Gonzalez’s path toward graduation has been years in the making\u2014driven by sheer determination. Photo by Angela Foster.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cHave you ever watched the movie Monsters University?\u201d Julio Gonzalez asked with a laugh. \u201cIn the movie, the students all go to Monsters University because they want to work at Monsters Inc., which generates all of the power.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAs students, that\u2019s kind of how we look at it: UTC is like a mini Monsters University and TVA is like Monsters Inc. generating power. We have world-class industry leaders right here locally. You don\u2019t have to go across the world to get that kind of education.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

#\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 #<\/p>\n

For Julio Gonzalez, that comparison isn\u2019t just a clever line. It\u2019s the story of how he found his place.<\/p>\n

The northwest Georgia native will cross the McKenzie Arena stage on Saturday, Dec. 13, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Engineering and Computer Science.<\/p>\n

At 32 years old, it\u2019s a walk that has been years in the making\u2014driven by sheer determination.<\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

Click here for more UTC Commencement 2025 stories<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

====================================================<\/p>\n

The first-generation college student admits the moment feels unreal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a whole lot,\u201d said Gonzalez, the son of parents who immigrated from a small village in Mexico. His mother and father never had the opportunity to attend school beyond the second grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust finally making it to this point and knowing all the sacrifices my family\u2019s made\u2014it\u2019s overwhelming,\u201d he said. \u201cIt feels like a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduating from Southeast Whitfield High School in Dalton, Georgia, in 2011, Gonzalez went straight into the workforce. At the time, college seemed uncertain and financially out of reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to go to college after high school,\u201d he explained, \u201cand I had the HOPE Scholarship, but that only covers so much. I was scared to take that leap and take out loans. So I waited and saved up money to go to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

That waiting turned into years. He held jobs in telecommunications, insurance and manufacturing before joining a Chattanooga water company. The work paid the bills, but his curiosity never went away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just knew I liked learning how things worked\u2014mechanical, electrical, anything hands-on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Along the way, he kept returning to the idea of school. In 2015, he began taking classes at a technical college; in 2019, he enrolled at Chattanooga State Community College, where he continued his studies, taking one or two courses at a time\u2014mostly at night after work.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you had to wait a whole year to take another class because it was only offered in the spring or fall,\u201d he recalled, \u201cbut I wanted to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Working swing shifts and long days, Gonzalez admitted there were times he nearly gave up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got burnt out,\u201d he said. \u201cThere were semesters I could only take one class. There were family gatherings where I\u2019d be in the room studying the whole time, maybe go out to eat and then go back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, on one icy morning, everything nearly came to an end. On his way to work, Gonzalez was caught in a 40-car pileup that left him with serious back and neck injuries. He spent more than a year and a half in physical therapy.<\/p>\n

There were nights he couldn\u2019t sleep because of the pain and days when he questioned whether it was worth it, but he kept going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was still going to school and still trying to work,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was very hard. I was on medication, in pain, and I just wanted empathy. I didn\u2019t cause the accident\u2014I was off the road and still got hit. I\u2019m grateful I was able to see another day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I thought about not going to school, I just kept thinking about my parents. They never had this chance at an education. I was doing this for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A

Julio Gonzalez poses with his family after the undergraduate commencement ceremony.<\/p><\/div>\n

After earning his associate degree from ChattState in 2023, Gonzalez was determined to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I graduated from Chattanooga State, that\u2019s when I said, \u2018OK, now I\u2019m going to UTC,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to keep challenging myself, and UTC felt like home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He started at UTC that fall majoring in electrical engineering, and \u201cprofessors, advisors and classmates became part of a network that helped me see what was possible,\u201d he said. \u201cUTC became a place that gave me more than an education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonzalez pointed to faculty members such as Dr. Abdel Karrar, professor of electrical engineering and associate dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. Raga Ahmed, UC Foundation associate professor of electrical engineering, as mentors who changed his trajectory.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone here took the time to help me understand,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cJust the fact that they\u2019d meet with me after hours or explain something one more time made all the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmed remembered him first as a student in her Signals and Systems class who \u201creally wanted to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wanted to understand engineering. He wanted to be a good engineer and a good employee,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat stands out about Julio is that he\u2019s very kind, very gracious and very committed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmed said his journey through long work hours and late-night study sessions revealed \u201cperseverance and being strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skills, the ethic, the commitment, the time management, the discipline\u2014those are the things he has carried over from his work experiences,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s grateful and he likes that we make him feel like family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wish all students felt that way, but not all of them tell us. That feedback helps us, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Gonzalez was part of a UTC-TVA team that received international recognition<\/strong><\/a> from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for a prize-winning paper presented at the IEEE conference in Austin, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat research was phenomenal,\u201d he said. \u201cI was seeing the numbers and calculations, and it made sense, but I didn\u2019t realize how big that really was in the world of engineering until I went to the conference and saw people from all over\u2014Switzerland, Brazil, Michigan, California. It made me appreciate how far I\u2019d come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karrar said he chose Gonzalez for the project after a blind call for senior students and was immediately struck by \u201chis passion for learning and for getting research experience\u2014particularly one that deals with the power industry and working with TVA.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he came and talked to me, I detected that eager look on his face, that enthusiasm, and his readiness to engage immediately,\u201d Karrar said. \u201cHe was a great research student to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

What impressed Karrar most was Gonzalez\u2019s reliability and positivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was patient, punctual, always there,\u201d Karrar said. \u201cHe talked about the difficulty of scheduling his hours at work, and I told him, \u2018Don\u2019t worry about that. Do what you need to do there and come here anytime you want.\u2019 He would come after hours, stay in the lab, do the work, and then send me a report of everything he had done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the kind of person I would trust if I had a company. He has the passion, interest, focus and work ethic. He will do justice to that work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project opened doors Gonzalez hadn\u2019t imagined. He\u2019s now an electrical engineering intern with TVA\u2019s reliability analysis group, studying outages and system performance to help maintain the regional power grid.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grid is like a big machine\u2014it\u2019s always working and always changing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe simulate outages, test new equipment and analyze voltage.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gonzalez, that connection between UTC and TVA keeps him inspired.<\/p>\n

It also allowed him to work a pop culture reference into his UTC experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cUTC is like a mini Monsters University,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re learning from the best and they\u2019re right here in our own backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karrar said seeing Gonzalez\u2019s growth through the research process was just as rewarding as the award itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes research can be repetitive, exhausting and demanding, but Julio accepted that nature of it,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was willing to give extra, to work weekends, to go the extra mile. That\u2019s the kind of person who makes your life easier because he wants to produce good results.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Left:

Julio Gonzalez, left, Dr. Abdel Karrar, Mark Bowman and Andrew Adams stand with their IEEE Prize Paper award at the recent IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting. Photo credit: Kim Casteel Bowman.<\/p><\/div>\n

Beyond professional goals, Gonzalez\u2019s next chapter includes family. He and his wife are expecting their first child.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait to be that parent who says, \u2018Where\u2019s your homework?\u2019\u201d he said, smiling. \u201cMy parents couldn\u2019t help me when I was little\u2014they didn\u2019t know what multiplication was. I can\u2019t wait to share that part of life with my daughter. I don\u2019t want to pressure her, but I hope she finds something she loves and pursues it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he talks about his journey, commencement represents much more than a degree. It\u2019s the closing of one long chapter and the start of another he once wasn\u2019t sure he\u2019d ever reach.<\/p>\n

He remembers studying during family gatherings, missing birthdays and saving every paycheck to afford tuition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose sacrifices really mean a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cThis bachelor\u2019s degree isn\u2019t just for me. It\u2019s for everyone who\u2019s been part of the journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He hopes other nontraditional or first-generation students see his story as proof that progress isn\u2019t always a straight line.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of our paths are different,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you really want it, don\u2019t be afraid to take your time. Take one class this semester and two next semester. Just keep going. Advisors and professors here will break their backs to help you out. And keep a goal in front of you\u2014something that keeps you moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added a message for traditional students: \u201cI would say don\u2019t give up on your dreams. Nightmares can quickly turn into a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gonzalez, that outlook defines more than his education\u2014it reflects what UTC has come to mean to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to graduate. I mean, I know I have to, but I love UTC,\u201d Gonzalez said. \u201cEveryone here has been so helpful. The professors here have given me so much and I\u2019d love to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

As one of his mentors said, seeing Gonzalez get to this point \u201cfills me with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me extra happy that he is crossing that finish line,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cIt makes me extra happy that he\u2019s on the right track to showing that all his hard work is going to pay off. That\u2019s very important for others to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish him the best and look forward to hearing a lot of good things about him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The end of one journey, Gonzalez said, will mark the beginning of the next.<\/p>\n

\u201cI might be back for my master\u2019s before long,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to get my master\u2019s. The bachelor\u2019s degree was for my parents, but I think a master\u2019s would be for myself and my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC College of Engineering and Computer Science<\/a><\/p>\n

Electrical Engineering<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC-TVA team powers up global conference with prize-winning research<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Julio Gonzalez will cross the McKenzie Arena stage on Saturday, Dec. 13, earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga College of Engineering and Computer Science. At 32 years old, it\u2019s a walk that has been years in the making\u2014driven by sheer determination.<\/p>\n

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