Estrella Bonilla is well on her way to making transformative contributions to engineering and renewable energy. Scheduled to graduate in May 2025, this mechanical engineering student’s journey to earning the prestigious California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement is a testament to her unwavering dedication and passion for innovation, as well as the strong values instilled by her family.
Bonilla says her earliest exposures to engineering – and her work ethic – came from her family. Her father often created practical tools for the family’s ranch, using scrap materials to design functional devices. These lessons in ingenuity and frugality planted the seeds for her passion for sustainability and renewable energy.
“Both of my parents have passed along their love of learning. They taught us to look at everything with eyes of wonder and amazement, and to never stop asking questions.”
– Estrella Bonilla
“My dad would make garden hoes from old tractor tilling disks and metal pipes and even welded together fence posts, gate latches for the chicken coop, and a hundred other things from scrap metal, instead of having to buy them and waste money,” she recalls. She quickly learned the key attributes she now brings to her studies and will apply to her future career in engineering.
This do-it-yourself mentality has also led her to take a deep interest in battery efficiency and recycling, which she hopes to pursue professionally.
She says it’s nearly impossible to describe how much her parents have supported her and her siblings.
“Their philosophy that nothing is impossible and that you just need to take the time to learn has kept me going through all of college,” Bonilla says. “Whatever we wanted to learn in school, my mom would say, ‘Go for it, just don’t do things half-heartedly.’ Both of my parents have passed along their love of learning. They taught us to look at everything with eyes of wonder and amazement and to never stop asking questions.”
Growing up in the fast-developing city of Visalia, California, Bonilla also witnessed firsthand the power of renewable energy as new homes were built with solar panels on their roofs.
“When I was little, I thought it was amazing that people could get ‘free’ energy from the sun and wondered why every rooftop didn’t have them,” Bonilla says. “Through the years, I learned more and more about the pros and cons of renewable energy, along with all the waste that comes from the manufacturing process.”
Her deep-rooted desire is to help bridge the gap, making renewable energy more accessible and sustainable for communities everywhere.
Finding Her Passion and Path
While her early experiences inspired her interest in engineering, Bonilla’s academic journey initially took a different route. Initially enrolling as a nursing major, Bonilla quickly realized her true passion lay in mathematics and chemistry. This realization led her to pursue mechanical engineering, a field that combined her love for problem-solving with her interest in sustainability.
“From then on, everything I was learning was a lot of fun, and I still feel that way about my classes here at CSUF,” Bonilla says.
This enthusiasm led her to dive deeper into the field of mechanical engineering, where she found herself drawn to the innovations and challenges of renewable energy.
Bonilla wants to take part in the push for cleaner, more viable energy solutions. As an engineering student, she’s particularly interested in the sustainability of lithium-ion batteries, which power the electric vehicles (EVs) gaining popularity across the world.
“There’s a lot of waste associated with lithium batteries, which is something I’d like to address,” she says.
Bonilla’s journey took another important turn when she transferred to Cal State Fullerton, more than 200 miles from home, along with her sister. Their decision to study at CSUF was based on the university’s strong reputation for both her and her sister’s intended fields – mechanical engineering for Estrella and animation for her sister.
Initially, Bonilla struggled with adjusting to being away from home, but she found her footing over time. Her involvement in programs like Project RAISE, designed to support transfer students, helped her overcome challenges and build a network of support. Through RAISE, Bonilla says she benefitted from priority registration for classes, personalized counseling, and a deeper connection to the campus community.
“Many of my classmates had friends that they’d known since their freshman year or even high school, and I hadn’t met many people yet,” she says. “In a way, RAISE forces transfer students out of their shell by having a required amount of professor office hours, tutoring and supplemental instruction sessions, club activities, and campus workshops required to receive priority registration. These all helped me out immensely, and I started losing that feeling of being out of place. Now, CSUF is a small home I know I’ll miss when I graduate.”
Bonilla has also made her mark by actively engaging in campus organizations, such as the Titan Rover team.
“These organizations have shaped my college journey by providing a network of support,” she says. “If I ever have a question regarding professors or anything school-related, I can ask someone. And, as a tutor in the ECS Student Success Center, I feel my role has impacted students by offering them an extra resource to come to when they can’t understand a subject on their own.”
Bonilla says working with Titan Rover has helped her grow as an engineer by allowing her to apply her in-class knowledge to the real world.
“I’ve been able to 3D model components for our science team, as well as research and calculate maximum stresses and strains to ensure that a component will not fail during testing,” she says. “Collaborating with my peers on projects has taught me to communicate with others, as well as finish any assigned tasks on time. Even though it is not the exact same environment as a job in the industry, my teammates and I have worked with project deadlines, bills of materials, project schedules, work breakdown structures, and team presentations, which are all real stages in the engineering process.”
Looking Toward the Future
With her graduation on the horizon, Bonilla hopes to pursue an entry-level job or internship to gain some experience in the engineering industry while working part-time on her master’s degree, with a concentration in energy systems or robotics.
“I’ve always felt a connection to the San Joaquin Valley,” she says. “So, I’d love to work near there, contributing to the community by developing engineering solutions that support sustainability.”
Bonilla says receiving the CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement was a major honor, and it helps her stay grounded and focused on her long-term goals. As part of this award, in recognition of her superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, and community service, Bonilla was selected as the Edison International Scholar, which comes with a $7,000 scholarship.
“This award means a lot to me. It’s a reminder that there are people who believe in me, and I’ll carry that motivation forward,” she says.
Reflecting on her own journey, Bonilla encourages first-generation college students to embrace curiosity and seek support when needed: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You don’t have to do everything on your own. There’s a lot to learn, and the more questions you ask, the more you’ll grow.”
