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Sonny Diep

Mechanical Engineer and Regional Manager at SASE

Sonny Diep is a Mechanical Engineer currently working at Instron in Norwood, Massachusetts. He has been with the company since July 2021, where he specializes in designing 3D printed fixtures for testing various prototypes of precision electromechanical devices, as well as publishing technical drawings for external use.1

Education and Early Career

Sonny graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University in 2021. Prior to his role at Instron, he gained experience as a Mechanical Testing Intern at N12 Technologies, where he managed a significant portion of the testing and reporting processes, and conducted various mechanical tests on carbon fiber composites.1

Involvement in Professional Organizations

In addition to his engineering role, Sonny has been actively involved with the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), where he has held several leadership positions, including Regional Manager and President. His contributions include organizing events, overseeing professional development initiatives, and fostering community engagement.1

Highlights

Jan 1 · linkedin

I am happy and grateful to share that I was recently named Northeast Collegiate Star by SASE - Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers!

It's crazy to think that four years ago, I almost didn't pursue SASE. I remember being intimidated by the idea of professionalism, like many other students entering college. I am grateful for the encouragement of Derek Tran and Jason Chin to take the leap and give SASE a try. Luckily for me, it was one of the best decisions I could have made, and I can't imagine where I would be now if it weren't for them.

Reflecting on the past year, I learned so many lessons as president of my chapter. Here's my top two:

  1. Invest in Your Team

During my first co-op at CeQur, I scheduled a meeting with then CEO Robert Farra to learn about what it's like being a leader. One thing that stood out to me was his emphasis on thinking as a team. He believed a leader should grow with and stand alongside their team.

I took his advice by focusing on learning each team member's strengths, weaknesses, and goals for the year. It was important for me to see where our visions aligned (or misaligned) and tailor an experience to reach their goals; this helped me lead more effectively and improved communication across the board.   2) Embrace Challenge

It's hard to not give up when you lose everything and must start from scratch. Covid forced everyone to adapt to the virtual environment, and most of our events depended on in-person interaction.

Instead of letting adversity get the best of us, I encouraged my team to take this as an opportunity to try new things. We were no longer bound to the inflexibility of recurring, annual events. Fortunately, we found great success by utilizing Discord's platform to virtualize our events, create new programs, and bring back a sense of community. I believe this mindset was essential for progress.

Thank you to my SASE team for your hard work and support, and Kevina Lee for featuring me in the SASE magazine!

Looking forward to another great year!

Aug 4 · linkedin

I am beyond excited to announce that I have returned to Instron as a full-time Mechanical Engineer! I will be working with the R&D team again to develop new solutions for their Universal Testing Systems.

It has been two years since I was a co-op there. So many things have happened since then - the pandemic, my graduation, and tons of uncertainty. It has been a fresh breath of air being able to be back at Instron.

So far, my first week has been filled with nostalgia, to say the least - the friendly faces, atmosphere, and even volleyball. It has been definitely challenging transitioning to in-person work after a year of online instruction and many mid-day naps, but I am much happier here.

Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way!

Related Questions

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Sonny Diep
Sonny Diep, photo 1
Sonny Diep, photo 2
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Experience

Mechanical Engineer at Instron, Regional Manager at SASE
Senior Regional Coordinator at SASE, Product Development Co-op at Dynocardia, Inc.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Northeastern University (2016 - 2021)

Location

Somerville, Massachusetts, United States