Profiles in Success

Shail Trivedi

  • EQUIP Alumnus
Shail Trivedi graduated from UC Davis with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and hopes to work with mechatronics/robotic systems or mechanical design of devices. “I love to learn,” he says, “and I find myself curious to learn more about the types of roles mechanical engineers play in today’s world and where I can best find my fit.” Today he is a mechanical design engineer at Tesla. Outside his work, Trivedi enjoys reading, traveling, cooking and spending time with family/friends.

Matthew Tsang

Matthew Tsang is a biological systems engineering major at UC Davis. A first-year student, he knows he wants a career in biotech, in particular leading advancements in gene therapy and agriculture. 

Michael Vilardo

Michael Vilardo is the co-founder, president and COO of Emile Learning. He won the $10,000 Technology Sector Award in the 2020 Big Bang! Business Competition while an MBA student at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. His venture, VHomes, which Vilardo scaled up with guidance from mentors at the Anderson Venture Accelerator, turned vacant and distressed motels and other locations into weekly and monthly rentals for budget-minded travelers and tenants. “It was profitable from Day 1 and won many competitions,” Vilardo says. A year after launching, he sold VHomes to a Bay Area short-term rental company and became a minority owner of that technology platform, now called NomΛd, which pays him monthly revenue.

Andy (Che-An) Wu

  • EQUIP Alumnus
Andy (Che-An) Wu graduated with a B.S. in computer science. Andy’s career goal is to become a tech-entrepreneur and make a huge difference in this world. He is always looking for opportunities to become a better programmer and to make connections with other passionate individuals. Wu’s interests include software engineering, app development and artificial intelligence. Today he is a software engineer at Zscaler.