Dimitri Mihaylov

Why is traveling to Cusco with the 33 Buckets Team important to you?

Traveling to Cusco with the 33 Buckets Team would be an integral part of my journey with the non-profit, as it would allow me to finally implement the project that me and my EPICS (Engineering Projects In Community Service) team here at Arizona State University have been working on for the past 3 years! Being able to travel to the project locations located in these rural Peruvian towns is the final step for this project to finally come to fruition and begin doing its job in helping these communities with their clean water needs.

How has 33 Buckets impacted you personally and professionally?

33 Buckets made its impact on me before I even joined any sort of project or team. I met one of the founders, Mark Huerta, my first semester of college and immediately got drawn to the purpose behind 33 Buckets. Mark instantly inspired me to join the cause which prompted me to email him as soon as possible to ask about potential opportunities. Although I wasn't experienced enough at the time to pursue a technical internship with the organization, Mark offered an alternative by encouraging me to join one of the 33 Buckets EPICS team. I ended up taking on and leading a new 33 Buckets EPICS team, the Internet of Things team, that following semester. Since then, I have accumulated countless pieces of technical knowledge as well as a really fulfilling experience that has helped me grow both as a leader and an engineer. 33 Buckets truly helped me become the student, engineer, and person that I am today by offering me my first major leadership and project role as a freshman in college, as well as a project that focuses on improving the health of those of whom may not have had the proper resources to do so. I have been lucky enough to also join the team now as an intern and be able to apply everything I have learned and worked on to the actual project locations in Peru.

What is your favorite part about working with 33 Buckets?

Working with 33 Buckets has definitely had its many perks. It combines the aspects of engineering ingenuity with global community service, a field that is very important to me. They have also allowed me to do so much within all of the assigned projects, meaning that I have been able to work various parts of the project and therefore learn so much about various technical solutions, specifically relating to Internet of Things and Big Data. Additionally, working at 33 Buckets feels more like a very large, intricate research project rather than any other typical job or technical internship, which is definitely something I really appreciate.

What are some of your hobbies, interests, and passions outside 33 Buckets?

Some of my hobbies and interests outside of 33 Buckets include working on personal programming projects, being outside as much as I can, and traveling to new places - hopefully to Peru this summer to help out!