Irbis Gallegos

Irbis was born and raised in El Paso's sister city of Juárez, México. During his second year of high school his family moved to El Paso - his parents wanted a better life and a better education for Irbis and his younger sister. After high school Irbis decided to go to college - he had every intention of being an industrial engineer like his father. But then he discovered computer science. He realized that he enjoyed taking CS classes more than any others - he even loved the Computer Architecture class that everyone else complained about! It wasn't long before Irbis realized that his future was indeed, in computing. He completed his B.S. in CS and enrolled in the Ph.D. program so that he could work towards his new goal of being a university professor. "I know I can make a lot of money working for a company after I graduate but being a TA for Data Structures made me realize how much I like connecting with students. Teaching is what I want to do."  Being in the Ph.D. program has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience for Irbis. "Grad school is so different - no one forces you to learn or study - they don't have to! You do it because you want to - because it's interesting and fun!" With guidance of his mentor, Dr. Ann Gates, Irbis is involved in ground-breaking research in monitoring of design constraints. "It's a new field," he says, "cutting-edge and exciting because so little has been done in this area until now."

For students who are about to complete their bachelor's degree Irbis has the following advice: "Opportunities are everywhere - explore them to their fullest. If you are like I was and you are not sure what to do after you graduate talk to a faculty member that you trust and talk to Sue [Walker]. Talking to her and Dr. Gates really helped me pick the right path for my future and I will always be grateful for that."