community-centered in the intertwined world of engineering & social justice
thinking constellationally
engineering design | human-centered design | engineering ethics
about eliza
Eliza Coleto (they/she) is a Filipino American fourth-year undergraduate studying Bioengineering and Ethnic Studies, with a certificate track in Asian American Community Health (CAACH) at the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, they are an Manufacturing Engineering Intern at Silk Road Medical, Inc. Previously, Eliza was a Conservation + Innovation Fellow through the Fung Fellowship at UC Berkeley's Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership.
With a love for tinkering around in design spaces, their passions include human-centered engineering design, community health, biomedical technology, and engineering ethics. They strive with intentionality to design engineering solutions to enhance healthcare accessibility for low-resource communities.
Beyond their studies, Eliza has embraced creative freedom in the Berkeley Dance Community (BDC) with Main Stacks Dance Team and TrueLement and Filipino organizations at UC Berkeley with Pilipinx American Alliance (PAA) and Pilipinx Cultural Night (PCN).
Header photo credit: Megan S. (2023)
A portrait of Eliza at UC Berkeley, wearing Philippine-inspired accessories by Marharlika and BRWNGRLZ, along with a black Filipiniaña bolero top by Barong Warehouse.
Photo Credit: Joshua F. (2022)
#HumansofFung
Eliza had the privilege of being interviewed by the Fung Fellowship about their story, their journey as an engineering undergrad at UC Berkeley, and their time as a Fung Fellow!
"Eliza Zita Coleto came to UC Berkeley with the intention of saving lives. Though their parents hoped they would do so as a doctor, the years of medical school the job required prompted Eliza to pivot to engineering, a profession where they could work behind the scenes in pursuit of the same goal. Now a bioengineering student and a Fung Fellow, Eliza strives to innovate and improve biomedical devices using human-centered design.
This is their story."
what is constellational thinking?
In 2012, author and novelist Teju Cole wrote about “Kony 2012,” a video calling for the arrest of Joseph Kong, a Ugandan rebel leader. Sparking attention on numerous media platforms, Cole's commentary argued that Western influence and media fail to "think constellationally" about power, privilege, and oppression, stating that Africa and other non-Western countries do not need to be "saved" by “The White Savior Industrial Complex.”
To think constellationally is to internalize that scientific, social, economic, and environmental issues are all intertwined. Eliza is devoted to integrating ethical solutions in their design and engineering work in areas such as:
rapid prototyping of healthcare solutions for low-resource communities
environmental barriers and design thinking
climate change, imperialism, rising technology
An onstage photo from UC Berkeley's 47th annual Pilipinx Cultural Night (PCN) presenting the Philippine dance Pandanggo sa Ilaw, choreographed and staged by Eliza.
Photo Credit: Megan S. (2023)
