CarloS Terrero Interview August 2022
We at Circle Optics are an eclectic group of interesting people who are deeply curious and want to make a difference through immersive experience. Meet Carlos Terrero, PE, our Senior Mechanical Engineer. Originally from Puerto Rico and formerly working at Xerox, he comes to Circle with almost 40 patents and an innate drive for reinvention.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET A SENSE THAT YOU LIKED TO BUILD THINGS?
The only related interest I had to engineering was drawing. I would always have a notebook and pencils everywhere I went. I grew up in a modest home with my mother as a single parent. Out of necessity I was always fixing things around the house. This was before YouTube so there was a lot of trial and error required to make things work. I earnestly wanted learn how things worked and how I could make them work even better.
WHAT MENTOR OR LEADER INFLUENCED YOU MOST?
I grew up in an environment that didn’t have a lot of role models in engineering. It is often said that children need at least one person to recognize their potential. For me, that person was my high school math teacher Mrs. Azor. She knew I was excellent at math and kept giving me additional assignments. It was always a surprised when I received awards for math, but it all started from a seed planted by my teacher. The only way you can say “thank you” to things like that is to pay it forward. That is why I am so invested in participating in the FIRST Robotics Challenge on the Joseph C. Wilson High School team, the X-Cats, where I have been a mentor for over 20 years.
WHAT IS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
As mentioned, my mentorship means a lot to me. I also have to say my very first patent -a printing system that increased media velocity was a meaningful accomplishment. Now, I have 37 patents and am hopeful to create some breakthroughs with the Circle Optics team. But, as many engineers can understand, there is nothing like that first patent.
WHAT QUALITIES ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU WHEN YOU LEAD A TEAM?
I want to make sure everyone is comfortable expressing their ideas and are able to be heard. Many times, the ideas people consider to be throwaways may spark a new line of thought. Also, different perspectives are opportunities to try different things and learn new ones. It is important that I am on a team with learners. No matter how much experience we have or our level of expertise, there are always new applications or new ways of expressing things. On several instances the students I mentor have revitalized my enthusiasm for engineering and technology.
WHAt Excited You Most About the FUTURE OF CIRCLE OPTICS TECHNOLOGY?
It excites me that in the near future there will be even better ways to connect and share experiences with others around the world. I occasionally play chess online and when I see the flag from a country on the other side of the world it amazes me that we can share that experience. I can’t imagine what things to come will knock the barriers of distance, language and culture. The Circle Optics vision of the capability of sharable real-time panoramic image can open us up to having new experiences, meeting new people and generating .
