Miguel is native to the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and spent much of his life in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. He lived a bi-national lifestyle, spending the school year in the valley and holiday breaks in Aguascalientes. Through this lifestyle, Miguel noticed the stark contrast between living in a low-density Texan suburb and a high-density Mexican city. He wondered why he felt so much freedom in Aguascalientes and so trapped in the Valley. It was not until he studied abroad in France, while a civil engineering student, that Miguel realized the power that transportation planning has on people’s quality of life. He felt free in Aguascalientes and France because he could walk, bike, and use public transit and felt trapped in the valley because he needed a car to get anywhere.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Rice University. Now, Miguel is determined to help more cities transition from being car-centered to vibrant multimodal places. As an Associate with TEI, he enjoys the duality of working in transportation planning and bringing those plans to life through engineering design. As he walks, bikes, and uses transit in an ever more multimodal Houston, he feels free and at home.