See all stories published in the 25 under 25 special edition here.
When Sebastian Sobrino-Gonzalez moved with his family from Puerto Rico to Miami at age 11, he didn’t yet know how one tabling event would shape his life.
The 21-year-old UF mechanical engineering senior now serves as president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers at UF, overseeing one of the largest student groups on campus and one of the most decorated chapters in the nation.
“I don’t do it because of the position, recognition or attention,” Sobrino-Gonzalez said. “I really do it because I’ve seen the impact, and I want to continue seeing that. I find so much joy in helping others, and it's what motivates me.”
Finding a home in SHPE
Sobrino-Gonzalez’s journey began before his first Summer semester, when he joined UF’s Successful Transition and Enhanced Preparation for Undergraduates Program under the College of Engineering, which helps incoming engineering students acclimate to college. Through STEPUP, he discovered SHPE at tabling events.
By his freshman Fall, Sobrino-Gonzalez joined SHPE’s mentorship program, which pairs younger students with upperclassmen, and the First-Year Leadership Program. His mentor, Natalie Lopez, helped him navigate classes and career fairs, eventually guiding him to his first internship with John Deere his freshman Spring.
That Spring, while many freshmen were still finding their way, Sobrino-Gonzalez left for Augusta, Georgia, to work full-time. Remaining involved in SHPE even while away from Gainesville kept him connected to his community, he said.
During winter breaks and summer internships, he immersed himself in books like “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “Leaders Eat Last.” He studied leadership theory for hours each day, preparing to guide others more effectively.
Juan Miguel Valderrama, former SHPE president and Sobrino-Gonzalez’s mentor, said Sobrino-Gonzalez is passionate not just about leading people but also about perfecting the skills he needs to do so.
“A few days before this leadership summit, [he] came to me and he asked, ‘Can I have a brief section of this summit so I can present some of the things I've learned in my own studies?’” Valderrama said. “I was sitting there along with the other 150 plus people in the audience, learning from Sebastian.”
Sobrino-Gonzalez changed the chapter’s leadership summits, Valderrama said. What had once been routine onboarding sessions became spaces of connection, a model still used today.
Growth through leadership
Over the next three years, Sobrino-Gonzalez’s SHPE journey evolved from mentee to mentor, from member to president. He directed the mentorship program, led SHPE’s flagship “Goals for Tomorrow” scholarship fundraiser and rose to become vice president of external affairs in his junior year.
In that role, he expanded SHPE Junior, the organization’s outreach to high school students, from two schools to nine, including his own alma mater in Miami. He felt proudest when seeing students execute projects better than he had.
“I got to see what leadership is all about, and I got to see [my program directors] grow in a way that I had never experienced before,” he said. “To me, that was super special.”
Grace Ramirez, a 20-year-old UF mechanical engineering junior, has worked under Sobrino-Gonzalez for two years. Everyone who works with himSobrino-Gonzalez benefits from his ability to lead with heart, Ramirez said.
“I think that's just really heartwarming to see him now being able to pass along that same impact to all of us,” she said. “The same leadership skills that he tried to instill in us, we're instilling in others.”
As SHPE UF president, Sobrino-Gonzalez now leads more than 350 active members, over 600 in total. His role, he says, is less about directing events and more about empowering others.
“They know more about their initiatives and programs and events than I do,” Sobrino-Gonzalez said. “This kind of role is now a step back, and I have to say ‘how can I support them?’”
He will graduate this Spring but remain at UF to pursue a master’s in manufacturing engineering. Next summer, he will intern for Procter & Gamble at the company’s Cincinnati headquarters.
Whatever path comes after, Sobrino-Gonzalez is certain of one thing.
“There's so many mentors that have helped me become a better leader,” he said. “I want to give it back. I want to repay it to those that are coming next.”
Contact Vera Lucia Pappaterra at vpappaterra@alligator.org. Follow her on X @veralupap.
Vera Lucia Pappaterra is The Alligator's Fall 2025 Caiman editor and a junior journalism and history student. She previously served as the enterprise race and equity reporter and the university general assignment reporter. In her free time, she enjoys being a menace on wheels (bike wheels).
