Electrical engineering junior named chief of staff for Students of Southern Company

Jesús Ruelas Barragan, a junior studying electrical engineering, was recently named chief of staff for the Students of Southern Company, an employee resource within Southern Company. In that position he oversees five other executive board members within Students of Southern Company and more than 70 co-op students and interns. He also cooridnates community service, social and site tour events.  

Barragan moved to the United States from Michoacan, Mexico at three years old and has lived with his family in the Auburn area since he was 11. 

“I have dreamed of attending Auburn University since the first day I locked eyes on Samford Lawn,” Barragan said.  

Barragan is not only the first engineer in his family, he's the first to attend college. 

“As a first-generation college student, I thought the co-op program would be a great first step into understanding the industry side of engineering prior to graduation,” he said. 

Barragan started out as a co-op student his first year at Auburn after learning about the opportunity while visiting campus during E-Day. He is currently on his second co-op rotation, serving as the substation protection and control test engineer for Georgia Power. He started with Georgia Power in the summer of 2022 as a distribution engineer. 

“I have gained so much professional experience from working with a team, coordinating projects with multiple teams outside of my own and networking across a vast company,” Barragan said. “Building genuine, meaningful connections has aided in developing my career.”.  

After graduation, he hopes to contribute in revolutionizing how energy is created, transmitted and delivered across the globe. 

“I know my dreams are enormous," he said, "but Auburn University has been a great asset, laying the framework for me to get closer to my goals.”