Thirty-seven University of Mississippi freshman engineering students have been awarded prestigious scholarships beginning this fall.
Representing Mississippi, Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisiana, California, Hawaii, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas, they are the recipients of Stamps Family, Brevard Family, John G. Adler, Harper Johnson, Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, Chinese Language Flagship, Otho S. Johnson, Gerald Jones, Farrell, George P. Hopkins, W.R. Newman, Damon Walls and Wesley Walls scholarships.
The exceptional group of students posted an average ACT score of 33, an average 3.98 high school grade-point average and includes a number of National Merit Finalists, STAR students, valedictorians and salutatorians.
Among the awardees are 11 biomedical engineering majors, six mechanical engineering majors, five computer science majors, three computer engineering majors, two electrical engineering majors, two chemical engineering majors, two civil engineering majors, one geological engineering major and one general engineering major.
School of Engineering Dean Dave Puleo acknowledged the talented group of students receiving these awards and recognized the alumni and friends who made these awards possible.
“We are thrilled to have such a large number of outstanding young scholars, and we look forward to watching their progress,” he said. “I also want to acknowledge the generosity of Ole Miss Engineering alumni who created many of these scholarships.”
Stamps Family scholars include:
- Fernando Arellano, a mechanical engineering major from Gautier
- Bryce Barrett, an engineering major from Nashville, Tennessee
- Joseph Crum, a mechanical engineering major from Canton
- Veronica “Ronnie” Cunitz, a chemical engineering major from Kopelei, Hawaii
- Isabella Furr, a biomedical engineering major from Ocean Springs
- Abigail Moeller, a biomedical engineering major from Tupelo
- Desiree Roby, a computer engineering major from Clinton
“I am extremely humbled and honored to have been selected to receive this generous award from the Stamps family,” Roby said. “My goals are to always excel in all my endeavors so as to prove worthy of their investment in my future.”
Donald Rogers, a Brevard scholar, was a National Merit Finalist and STAR student at Oxford High School. An AP Scholar with Distinction, he won a second-place Gold Award in the 2019 Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, the National Speech and Debate Association Degree of Superior Distinction, NSDA Academic All-American and fourth place in the Mississippi Bar 2019 State Mock Trial Competition. An Honors College student, Rogers plans to study computer science.
“It’s a huge honor to me, as I wasn’t really expecting the scholarship,” Rogers said. “When I learned of the origins of the scholarship, I was very proud to be able to call myself a recipient of the award.”
Brevard scholars include:
- Leigh Hardin, a general engineering major from Jackson
- Blake Knippers, a mechanical engineering major from Corinth
- Lydia Miller, a biomedical engineering major from Hattiesburg
- Keegan Riley, a biomedical engineering major from Youngsville, Louisiana
- Donald Rogers, a computer science major from Oxford
- Macey Ross, a biomedical engineering major from Jonesboro, Arkansas
- Emily Stevens, a biomedical engineering major from Oxford
An Adler scholar, Alyssa Brohawn was a Freshman Student of Merit, Junior Student of Merit, National Merit Scholar, ACT Scholar, six-year Rotary Scholar, Cum Laude Society member and Class of 2020 salutatorian. She plans to study biomedical engineering and participate in the Honors College.
Brohawn, a graduate of Tupelo High School, reflected that the financial support will allow her to achieve her goals.
“I’m very honored to have been selected as a recipient of this scholarship because I know many incoming students each year are highly qualified and deserving of such an investment,” she said. “I appreciate the faith and commitment this university and the School of Engineering have placed in me and my further education, and I plan to work hard both for myself and as a representative of this program.”
Adler scholars are:
- Alyssa Brohawn, a biomedical engineering major from Tupelo
- Allen Chatelain, a biomedical engineering major from Kiln
- Kayln Dixon, a chemical engineering major from Rochester, Illinois
- Stephanie Handford, an electrical engineering major from Waukesha, Wisconsin
- Edward Harlow, a general engineering major from Duck Hill
- Cameron Hillman, a biomedical engineering major from Long Beach
- Katherine Nevils, a biomedical engineering major from Winnfield, Louisiana
- Anthony Njiti, a computer engineering major from Vicksburg
- Victoria Saenz, a mechanical engineering major from Fair Oaks, California
- Cody Yoder, a geological engineering major from Hernando
Ethan Crain, a Harper Johnson scholar, plans to study electrical engineering with a manufacturing emphasis that is offered through the Center for Manufacturing Excellence. As captain of East Rankin Academy high school’s FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics team, he led the team to two state championships and its first invitation to the world championship. Crain was also named one of three FIRST Dean’s List finalists from Mississippi and represented the state at the FIRST world championship. He has qualified for the National History Bowl for the past four years, was a delegate at Mississippi Boys State in 2019 and served as president of the inaugural Pelahatchie Mayor’s Youth Council.
“Receiving this scholarship is a huge honor,” Crain said. “It gives me the opportunity to continue exploring my passion for STEM. I am very grateful for the chance to pursue my dreams.”
The other Harper Johnson scholar is David Crews, a computer engineering major from Jackson.
Other engineering scholarship recipients include:
- Jonathan Haynes of Jackson, a mechanical engineering major and recipient of the Farrell Scholarship and the George P. Hopkins Engineering Scholarship
- James Hill of Oxford, a computer engineering major and recipient of the Gerald Jones Scholarship
- Piper Lind of Biloxi, a general engineering major and George P. Hopkins Engineering Scholarship recipient
- James Montgomery of Pontotoc, a civil engineering major and recipient of the Wesley Walls Scholarship
- Albert Pham-Do of Oxford, a computer engineering major and recipient of the Gerald Jones Scholarship
- Nathan Slack of Brandon, a computer science major and recipient of the Otho S. Johnson Scholarship
- Gracyn Worsham of Ocean Springs, an electrical engineering major and recipient of the Damon Walls Scholarship
Other nonengineering scholarship recipients are:
- Benjamin Jackson of Southaven, a civil engineering major and W.R. Newman scholar
- Jonah Kocisko of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a chemical engineering major and Chinese Language Flagship Program scholar
- Jacob Schwartz of Neenah, Wisconsin, a mechanical engineering major and Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence scholar
- Jeremy Wright of Gulfport, a computer science major and Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College scholar