Tec scholarship student to study biomedicine graduate degree in U.S.

Since he can remember, Diego Alonso Quevedo has always had one dream, to graduate as a professional from Tec de Monterrey.

Now, he is about to achieve that goal and is also getting ready to break down barriers in biomedicine.

Diego Alonso has been accepted for graduate studies at four international universities, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon University.

The 23-year-old from Aguascalientes has dedicated part of his life to working on the research and development of various medical devices, such as exoskeletons, 3D-printed skull plates, and muscle fibers.

“When came to Monterrey, I already knew that I wanted to do research, so I started looking for groups and thinking about what I wanted to research. That was when I discovered biomedicine,” he said.

"One of these groups was run by Professor Mario Moisés Álvarez and Dr. Grisel Trujillo de Santiago, where he worked on the development of muscle fibers to replace non-functional muscle in people.

“I wanted to continue learning, so I switched to something more biological by joining both professors. That’s where I started from scratch to see how the research group dynamic works,” he said.

International Vision

In the summer of 2019, the soon-to-graduate student was able to travel to Canada to participate in a research residency program, where he developed smart templates to detect ulcers in people with diabetes.

Later that year, Diego received the news that he had been accepted on a research residency program at MIT, where he developed 3D-printed patches to treat the heart after cardiac arrest.

“For the whole of 2020, I was at MIT working on this patch project. The pandemic forced me to stay indoors for three months, which allowed me to develop a program that simulates the right ventricle of the heart.

“The truth is, I really liked the work I did there, so I decided to study a graduate degree in Mechanics focused on biomedicine at MIT with the scholarship they offered me,” he says.

Learning beyond the classroom 

“If I learned anything from the Tec, it is to never give up, to always be persistent,” said the student.

“When I first started my degree, I was very motivated to learn, but I didn’t know how to focus. Now, after five years of being on that path, I know what I want to do and how I’m going to achieve it,” he said.

He added that his main goal is to develop medical technology that can be used on patients to improve their quality of life.

Diego said that another of his commitments is to inspire more students or work in education to help more young people to follow the same path.

“The Tec isn’t only about taking classes. It’s an incredible opportunity that also includes extracurricular activities. I took drawing classes, guitar classes, flag football, dance classes: it’s a comprehensive experience,” he said.

“When I first started my degree, I was very motivated to learn, but I didn’t know how to focus. Now, after five years of being on that path, I know what I want to do and how I’m going to achieve it.

Acknowledgments

Diego took the first three semesters of his degree at the Aguascalientes campus and said he was proud to have been part of the Tec de Monterrey student community at the Monterrey campus.

“The list of acknowledgments is huge, but I would like to begin by thanking my parents, who always supported me and believed in me.

“After them, I would like to thank my friends and my teachers. I’ve been to many laboratories and at the Tec there are many teachers who support you, who inspire you to achieve your goals,” he said. 

“Doing all of these interesting things is not only a personal achievement,” he added, “but it’s also an achievement made by all of the people who’ve been there with me along the way, who’ve supported me. It’s a collective achievement because without them I wouldn’t be who I am now.”

Diego Alonso obtained the Leaders or Tomorrow scholarship, designed for outstanding and talented young people whose socioeconomic status requires one hundred percent support in tuition fees for a professional degree course or program.

This is not a student loan, and there is an annual call nationwide.

You can find further information on this page (in spanish).

With information from Olivia Ramos.

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