alumni resources
The Cal Poly mechanical engineering alumni network is filled with graduates who bring our Learn by Doing spirit to a variety of industries, corporations and organizations. As a lifelong Mustang, there are a variety of ways you can reconnect with your alma mater to support today’s mechanical engineering students.
Julia Roche ’17
Technical Development Program Engineer, Edwards Lifesciences
Julia Roche graduated in 2017 with a mechanical engineering degree and is now a technical development program engineer at Edwards Lifesciences, a medical equipment company specializing in artificial heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring.
In her current position, Roche rotates through four different facets of engineering including quality engineering, research and development, marketing and manufacturing. Roche enjoys working for a medical device company because of the direct impact she has on people’s lives.
“The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that I’m a part of saving people’s lives,” she said.
Alec Bialek & Eric Griess
Alec Bialek (pictured on the left) and Eric Griess traveled from Cal Poly across the globe on separate career paths only to reconnect again years later in Sweden.
Bialek graduated in 2017 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He’s best known for constructing a full-size, functioning R2D2 during his undergrad. He studied abroad for six months at the Munich University of Applied Sciences and interned at BMW doing engine calibration with the inline six-cylinder group. After connecting with Griess, who was working for a company in Sweden at the time, Bialek sought to get a job there as well. Bialek is now a software integration engineer at Koenigse gg Automotive AB, a Swedish manufacturer of high-performance vehicles, headquartered in Angelholm, Sweden. Bialek is responsible for vehicle application software and ensuring they are safe to drive.
Griess graduated from Cal Poly in 2014 with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. While at Cal Poly, Griess was a shop technician and part of Cal Poly Racing. During his master’s, Griess conducted research on FreeValve, a Swedish technology company specializing in camless engine technology. He discovered his passion for the company and sought to work for them after graduation. After many attempts, Griess finally got an interview with FreeValve and started out as a design engineer. Griess is now the chief technology officer at the firm based in Angelholm, Sweden.