Student scholarship recipients and donors were honored at the Volgenau School of Engineering's Annual Scholarship Luncheon at the Mason Global Center on October 15, 2014.
"Only a fraction of our students receive scholarship support," said Associate Dean, Dr. Sharon Caraballo, the event's emcee. "Many of the students work two or three jobs, while maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or better. By providing scholarships to these academically gifted students, our donors support education and training that strengthens our workforce."
According to Caraballo, in spring 2014, 203 students earned a GPA of 3.5 or better. Of these 129 had a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better, and 18 had a cumulative GPA of 4.0. But these numbers tell only part of the story. To give more detail student recipients were asked to share how the gifts made a difference in their studies.
The student speakers included Francisca Wood, Robby Baccary, and Hayley Harris. Wood, who was the first speaker, is a bioengineering major and received her scholarship from an anonymous donor. Born and raised in Chile, Wood has lived in Virginia for almost 10 years. She is a graduate of the Math and Science Academy at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach.
The second speaker, Robby Baccary, is an IT major who is minoring in business and received the Departmental Excellence Award from the school's Applied Information Technology Department. Baccary's extra curricular activities include serving as financial manager of Mason'sHabitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, volunteering as a STARS Computing Corps Volunteer and membership in the Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key Honor Societies.
The final speaker, Hayley Harris, is a computer science major who is minoring in math. Harris is one of the first recipients of the E. Bernard White Memorial Scholarship. She grew up in nearby Centreville, Virginia and said she always dreamed of going to Mason. Harris works part time and participates in many volunteer activities including construction work.
As the cost of higher education continues to increase, the school has made scholarship support of deserving students a high priority. For more information about how you can support scholarships please contact the school at 703-993-1497.