We are excited to congratulate Alain Olhaberry, a senior who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at UConn’s School of Engineering in May 2022.Alain’s interest in math and science as well as his passion about environment and contributing to a sustainable future steered him towards choosing Chemical Engineering as his major for his undergraduate studies. Alain has always been interested in hands on work which aided him during his undergraduate studies, especially in practical lab-based courses. While studying at UConn, self-learning is one of the skills he picked up, which helped him become a well-rounded student and navigate well through his professional career. The knowledge he gained through his courses in Chemical Engineering coupled with his inclination towards sustainable energy area drove him towards working as a student energy analyst at the Southern New England Industrial Assessment Center (SNE-IAC) at UConn, aided by the Department of Energy. Working at SNE-IAC helped him gain the knowledge and experience to transition better from being a student to starting his professional journey as an Assistant Energy Efficiency Consultant in the Energy Efficiency Department at Eversource, which is one of the strategic partners of UConn’s SNE-IAC program. He is happy to share his firsthand experience and prove as a reference for future students coming out of such partnership programs.

Although Alain was associated with the SNE-IAC for just one semester during his senior year, he contributed positively and is excited for the other incoming students who will continue contributing to the growth of the center.  While at IAC, he was motivated by his peers and gained skills and abilities such as learning how to read an energy bill and other energy consuming processes, which prepared him for his current role in the industry. He feels his undergraduate degree has built the necessary framework to get him involved in the industry that he is working in. It has provided him an entry point to get to where he wants to be as he continues to pursue his Engineer-in-Training license and goes on to get his Professional Engineer license.  About working with the IAC, Alain says, “My experience with the IAC was an extremely exciting one for me. I made sure I seized the opportunity to the maximum allowable amount and as a result managed to connect myself with others who have allowed me to progress into what I am now. I am eternally grateful for the center director, Dr. Liang Zhang and the assistant director, Dr. Amy Thompson for giving me this opportunity as I am sure that it has changed my life forever and for the better.” Although Alain struggled to find his own at the beginning of his career, not only as a student but also as a person, he eventually managed to understand what it takes to be a successful student and, in the future, a successful professional. This also changed a lot about how he approached learning and work. He is very grateful to have had the opportunity to work as a student energy analyst through the IAC program.

We wish Alain the best as he steps into the industry to start his professional career.