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Black & Veatch is an employee-owned engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company.
Black & Veatch started a scholarship which is given out to freshman students entering Pitt State’s electronics engineering technology program. Recipients of the scholarship receive $7,200 to be split between the fall and spring semester.
Estevan Hernandez, freshman in electronics engineering technology, is one recipient of the scholarship.
“…The scholarship helps me greatly by alleviating financial burden and allowing for increased focus on my educational and career goals,” Hernandez said.
To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be a resident of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, or Arkansas.
“I think that not only the scholarship is great but… (so are) all the opportunities that come with it,” Hernandez said. “I also think the partnership between PSU and Black & Veatch is good as it is a great way to help bridge knowledge gaps.”
Trysten Williamson, freshman in electrical engineering, also received the scholarship.
“It’s one of the best scholarships Pitt has to offer,” Williamson said. “…This scholarship helped me immensely by paying off my remaining tuition so that I wouldn’t have to work my first year of college.”
The scholarship presents unique opportunities for student recipients. Along with the scholarship, recipients are assigned a mentor from Black & Veatch.
“We have had several opportunities to meet Black & Veatch professionals and several insights on what they do on a daily basis,” Williamson said.
In addition to having a mentor from Black & Veatch, the scholarship recipients are introduced to professional staff at Black & Veatch and get an inside look at how the company functions.
“The first two topics that come to mind are the mentors assigned to us recipients and the meetings we have been attending,” Hernandez said. “The recent job shadow that we had is a great example of the learning and networking opportunities as we were introduced to multiple different BV professionals along with them each giving a presentation. The presentations introduced us to the BV professional, projects they have undertaken, the tools they use, their working environment, and many topics that were not yet discussed in class.”
The scholarship was announced last summer.
“Black & Veatch has hired several engineering technology and construction students for full-time employment and internships, and employees there serve on multiple advisory boards for the college,” Greg Murray, chair of the engineering technology department, told the PSU marketing and communication department upon the announcement.
President of Black & Veatch’s Power Business Mario Azar also spoke with the marketing and communication department when the scholarship was announced.
“Our professionals dream, create, and find new solutions to old problems involving the world’s critical infrastructure, so we’re thrilled about this opportunity to help open new doors to talent not only for our business but for everyone’s betterment,” Azar said.