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The first time Vivian Rincón Dib realized she could use engineering to help others, it was in a UF Engineering Design and Society course. There, she worked on a wearable body-temperature sensor designed to reduce the workload of nurses by automatically tracking patient data.
“I want to do that on a larger scale,” she said of the project. ”To design technologies that make healthcare more accessible to communities like the one I came from.”
The 20-year-old UF computer science junior grew up in Venezuela, where she experienced the country’s economic and humanitarian crises firsthand. She recalled how, in 2014, in a class of 40 children, only three were in attendance.
Her family soon moved to Ecuador, and a year later to Abu Dhabi. There, she received an education at the American International School in Abu Dhabi, surrounded by international classmates and the latest technology.
Now, she’s using her tech knowledge to assist communities in need — like the one in which she grew up — and make education more accessible for students across the world. She’s also a leader within her own college, using her skills to help people closer to home.
During an internship with Docures, an AI-powered learning company that helps students better understand their textbooks, Rincón Dib built a chatbot to guide students through problem-solving. At another internship with Florida Community Innovation Foundation, she worked on a resource-mapping platform connecting underserved Floridians with essential services.
“I think my favorite part about those internships was seeing how something I built could actually help people,” she said. “With Docures, it was about helping students learn better, and with Florida Community Innovation, it was about connecting people to resources they need most.”
Most recently, she worked as a software engineer intern at National Instruments, which has since merged with Emerson Electric, creating Python apps to integrate hardware and software systems.
At UF, Rincón Dib’s peers know her as an exceptional leader and community builder. Within the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, she has held multiple leadership roles and led projects that broaden the organization’s reach.
As a freshman, she was selected for the Goals for Tomorrow program, a highly competitive initiative where three freshmen organize the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ largest annual event. She later returned as the program’s marketing director.
Joseph Molina, a fellow 20-year-old UF computer science junior, worked with Rincón Dib in the Goals for Tomorrow program.
“Dependable is the word that comes to mind,” he said. “She'll make sure that everyone else is doing well before even making sure she's okay.”
Rincón Dib also contributed as an iOS app developer, helping students access the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers’ resources from their phones. She went on to serve as lead community outreach director and now holds the position of vice president of external affairs.
“She’s very consistently the first face that people will go up to, like first-years with questions about engineering or their careers,” Molina said. “If they’re not going directly to her, upperclassmen will send freshmen her way because they know she’s the right person to talk to.”
Her impact extends beyond the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. As a member of the Engineering Ambassadors, she gives tours and serves as a liaison for the College of Engineering.
Her peers say her drive to bridge gaps defines her.
“The position she has right now, it's so much work,” said Andrea Sanchez, a 22-year-old UF computer science graduate and Rincón Dib's mentor for the 2024-2025 school year. “You can see it in her, that she loves it, which I admire a lot.”
Looking ahead, Rincón Dib hopes to keep expanding her tech skills while improving lives. She plans to pursue an MBA, as her father suggested, and even considers one day returning to a university classroom — this time as a professor — so she can continue guiding students the way she has throughout her undergraduate years.
Jaime Blanco Pinto is a contributing writer for The Alligator. Contact him at blancopintojaime@ufl.edu.
