SACRAMENTO STATE special supplement
Made at Sac State
by Jessica Laskey
Eric Guerra
Sacramento City Councilmember , District 6 BS Electrical and Electronic Engineering , MA Public Policy and Administration
“ Sacramento State is one of those universities that can really change peoples ’ lives ,” says Eric Guerra . “ In less than a summer , I went from being a farm worker picking peaches to actively pursuing a degree in electrical engineering and thinking about my future .”
Guerra credits his time at Sac State as the motivation to not only study engineering , but also to get into politics . Watching fellow migrant students pursue their education against all odds inspired Guerra to run for student government to lobby money for the migrant student program to give people like himself — a formerly undocumented immigrant and farm worker — the opportunity to excel .
“ I learned so much from interacting with students from all different walks of life ,” says Guerra , who went on to earn his BS , complete the post-baccalaureate Capital Fellows program and earn his MA , all at Sac State . Now , in addition to serving on the Sacramento City Council , Guerra also serves as policy director for the State Assembly and president of the Sac State Alumni Association , among many other positions .
“ Having ( so many different ) people around you helps you understand your values and put them into practice ,” he says . “ That ’ s the power of the CSU — you learn by doing and seeing .”
Paul Lau
CEO and General Manager , SMUD BA Electrical Power Engineering
Paul Lau remembers the exact moment he decided to go to Sac State . On a campus tour in 1979 , the Hong Kong native walked into the student union — and decided his destiny .
“ I was amazed by the diverse student body ,” says Lau , who earned his BA in Electrical Power Engineering and went on to head up SMUD , the sixth largest community-owned electric utility in the nation . “ It struck me that this is the place I want to be . I felt very much at home .”
Choosing Sac State completely changed the course of Lau ’ s career . He had enrolled as a pre-dental major but was convinced to change majors by Dr . Miroslav Markovic , the professor in charge of the power engineering program at the time . Lau remembers Markovic as a caring mentor who made sure his students worked as a team and received real-world experience through internships at local companies . Lau interned at SMUD — and recently celebrated 39 years with the organization .
“ We learned more than just technical skills ( at Sac State ),” Lau says . “ We learned about being a good community citizen and linking the work we do to the community we serve . That has influenced the work I do as a public servant .”
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