WILSONVILLE, OR. – An Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) sophomore in Electrical Engineering, Elizabeth Thurman, was recently awarded one of fifty coveted Buick Achievers scholarships from the Buick and GM Foundation, provided annually to top scholars from across the country. Ms. Thurman is one of only two students in Oregon who received the $25,000 award. The Buick Achievers scholarships provided a total of $1.2 million to this year’s recipients.
Besides her full-time academic schedule, Elizabeth is very active in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), in which she will be President of the Oregon Tech SWE Chapter starting in September; and has been selected as a SWE Future Leader, which includes attending the Collegiate Leadership Institute at the international conference this fall. Elizabeth does volunteer work with K-12 students, engaging them in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas through her own passion in these subjects, is also very active in student government at Oregon Tech, and has been recently named the communications officer for Associated Students of Oregon Institute of Technology.
A native of McCall, Idaho, and a first-generation college student, Ms. Thurman just completed her sophomore year at Oregon Tech’s Wilsonville Campus and will be continuing her studies this fall as a junior. She anticipates graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with the Class of 2017.
“I am honored to have been selected as a recipient of this generous scholarship from Buick and the GM Foundation,” said Ms. Thurman. “Receiving this support brings me one step closer to my goal of being an Electrical Engineer. I am from a small mountain town in Idaho so I did not have much exposure to engineering during my early years of education. However, I did have a high school Physics teacher who inspired me to become an engineer after she saw my potential in the STEM subjects. I hope that my involvement with SWE and volunteer work with younger students in STEM will encourage young engineers the way I was inspired by my science teacher.”
This is not the first recognition Elizabeth has received; she was also a recipient of a Leadership and Diversity Scholarship from Oregon Tech, a JFR Scholarship from the Oregon Tech Foundation, and a Clean Energy Scholarship from WB Services, a renewable fuels company in Kansas.
Allan Douglas, Assistant Professor Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Department said, "Elizabeth is an outstanding student and an exceptional contributor to the Oregon Tech Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. This scholarship is well deserved."
Buick Achievers scholarships are provided to students studying in Engineering, Technology or select Design and Business related degree programs, and applicants must demonstrate an interest in pursuing a career in the automotive or related industries. Other criteria include academic achievement, financial need, participation and leadership in community and school activities, and work experience.
