When Lourdes Navarro decided to attend Wilkes University, she thought she knew exactly what to expect. “I’m going to learn English, make a few friends and come back.”
The senior from Chupampa, Panama, learned English and made more than a few friends. During her time at Wilkes, the environmental engineering major also earned academic accolades, served as the president of the Wilkes chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and got involved on campus and in the community. But her fondest memory is the community she discovered as a Colonel.
“Every department I was working for, every professor I had the chance to meet here, they all felt like a community,” says Navarro. “My cheerleaders — my friends and family — were all in Panama. Having that support here was a huge help.”
At the top of Navarro’s long list of cheerleaders is her mentor, Nelson Anaya, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “He’s one of those professors, even if I didn’t have a class with him and had a question, he would find the time. And not just with me. I have seen it with all my friends. If they need the help, Dr. Anaya is going to have the door open for them,” says Navarro. “And that’s school related. But personally, I feel like for all international students, he’s like family.”
Having once been an international student himself, Anaya knows the challenges of navigating a new country and culture. “In each of these students, I see myself and my wife, moving through all these experiences to be successful.” says Anaya.
On campus, Anaya advised Navarro on academic matters, resume writing and conference presentations. She credits him for encouraging her to lead the SHPE. But he and his wife have also hosted international students for Thanksgiving holidays and graduation parties.
“We see the potential of our students and how they grow through the years,” says Anaya. “When we see these students, we see ourselves. We hope they do better than us.”
Navarro’s time at Wilkes has certainly set her on the path to success. She shared what she’s learned in the classroom as an environmental engineering major and sustainability minor with national audiences. Navarro represented Wilkes at the Air and Waste Management Association in Orlando, Florida, in 2023, taking fifth place in an environmental decarbonization challenge. Her research comparing air pollutants across two industrial sectors earned first place in the STEM Poster Competition at the SHPE national convention in Anaheim, California, in 2024.
With her impressive resume, Navarro landed a summer internship at Cedarville Engineering Group in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. “Internships are so important,” says Jenna Weiss, internship coordinator for the Center for Career Development and Internships. “They give students a hands-on, interactive experience of what they might be doing for the rest of their lives. It’s so different from what they learn in a textbook or in the classroom.”
In addition to gaining professional experience, the summer position provided valuable networking. “They gave me opportunities to show work that I had done at Wilkes,” says Navarro. “They truly got to know me as more than an intern.” Impressed by her performance, a member of the team shared Navarro’s name with the Society of American Military Engineers for a scholarship opportunity, and she accepted the award in Philadelphia in April.
Navarro maintained a busy schedule, serving as a career peer ambassador, e-mentor, COBE Scholar and president of the Friends of Panama Club. She earned a platinum DIVE certificate from the Office of Diversity Initiatives and was recognized with the Global Scholar and Citizen Award. She also traveled to the Dominican Republic for Alternative Spring Break and went to New Haven, Connecticut, to volunteer over fall break.
“I feel like being involved gives me motivation because the things I’m involved in are things I’m passionate about,” says Navarro.
After graduation, Navarro will direct her passion to a graduate assistantship and master’s degree in sustainable engineering at Villanova University. She first met with the Villanova recruiter while helping set up for a career fair on campus with the team from the Center for Career Development and Internships. They crossed paths a second time through Navarro’s work as a career ambassador, then again at the SHPE convention in California. Her interest in the master’s program grew when Marleen Troy, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Wilkes, emailed about a Villanova professor seeking graduate research assistants. Navarro interviewed and was accepted.
“I’m going to do my master’s and I’m going to get paid to do my masters,” says Navarro. “When I look back and try to do a timeline of how it happened — because of the poster, because of the email Dr. Troy sent, because of the career fair…it seemed like the stars were aligning.”
Now as she prepares to follow the stars to her next adventure in Philadelphia, Navarro looks back on her time at Wilkes, grateful for all those on campus who helped her along the way. “I had mentorship everywhere,” Navarro says. “In every department, in every club, I found a mentor.”