The NCSEA Foundation is pleased to announce the 25 recipients of its 2024 Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarships:
- Applied Technology Council Diversity in SE Scholarship—Eduardo Montalto
- Degenkolb Engineers Diversity in SE Scholarship—Maria Emilia Clavijo Calderon
- Forell | Elsesser Engineers Scholarship—Geraldine Lynch
- Holmes Diversity in SE Scholarship—Divino Gonzales and Edwin Reyes
- Mackenzie Diversity in Engineering Scholarship—Liana Wong
- Martin/Martin Skyrise Scholarship—Ana Mateo Jerez
- SEA-MW Diversity in SE Scholarship—Damario Berry
- SEAONC Diversity in SE Scholarship—Sarah Soto
- SEAoNY Diversity in SE Scholarship—Ibrahima Fall
- Steven B. Tipping Memorial Scholarship for Innovation and Excellence in SE—Khanh Doan
- Wood Solutions Scholarship sponsored by Think Wood —Afeez Badmus, Baiyu Chen, Ronald Orellana, and Tiana Noelani Thorp
- NCSEA Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarships—Alberto Diaz Loza, Emily Cheng Kerstetter, Emily Cross, Grace Lynn Pluemacher, Javier Andres Chininin, Leon Crawford, Santa`Flores Alvarez, Shun Lei Yee, Tyler Kleinsasser, and Victoria Abigail Maidana Dure
“The growth of the NCSEA Foundation Diversity in Structural Scholarship program, from four scholarships in 2021 to 25 in 2024, is an incredible endorsement from our profession to the Foundation’s mission as we seek to provide support for historically excluded members of our community to this great profession. We recognize that diversity is essential in strengthening our structural engineering community and achieving greater diversity requires intentional support,” said Tricia Ruby, NCSEA Foundation Board of Directors President. “I am so inspired by these students in their quest for careers in structural engineering, and we are proud to support their educational goals. And I am incredibly grateful for the continued support of this Scholarship Program from our profession and industry partners. Together, we are truly making a difference in the lives of these students and bettering our profession.”
The NCSEA Foundation is experiencing a record-breaking year for its Diversity in Structural Engineering Program. Doubling the number of scholarships distributed last year, 11 groups—ATC, Degenkolb, Forell | Elsesser, Holmes, Mackenzie, Martin/Martin, SEA-MW, SEAONC, SEAoNY, Think Wood, and the Tipping Family—are funding 15 scholarships ranging from $3,250 to $5,000 each. Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI) also provided a generous donation to the scholarship program, supporting scholarship recipients and their NCSEA Summit experience. NCSEA awarded 10 additional $3,000 scholarships. In total, the Foundation will award over $70,000 in scholarships this year, a 50% increase over 2023.
The program received 147 applications this year, eclipsing last year’s 101 submissions and almost tripling the number of applications in 2021, the scholarship program’s first year. The high caliber applicants hail from 30 different states and span the spectrum of race, ethnicity, and gender. The Scholarship Review Committee—comprised of 20 NCSEA community members, practicing structural engineers, and engineering hiring specialists—carefully reviewed the applications for several weeks before arriving at their decisions.
The Diversity in Structural Engineering Scholarship Program was established in 2021 by the NCSEA Foundation to award funds to structural engineering students who identify as historically underrecognized students (including but not limited to Black/African Americans, Native/Indigenous Americans, Hispanics/Latinos or Spanish, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and other people of color, those with disabilities, veterans and LGBTQIA+). These scholarships help remove obstacles to pursuing a career in structural engineering.
Learn about funding a named or endowed scholarship. Contribute to this work by making a donation to the NCSEA Foundation.
The NCSEA Foundation strives to advance the science and practice of structural engineering by supporting NCSEA, the state SEAs, and practicing structural engineers.