AUCC Awards over $1M in Scholarship Awards to Dual Degree Engineering Program Students
Thanks to additional donations corporate sponsors have made scholarships and internships possible for over 60 students awarded at the 45TH AUC Consortium Dual Degree Engineering Program April 30th.
Atlanta – As another school year ends, the Atlanta University Center Consortium honored students in its Dual Degree Engineering Program by disbursing $1,100,000 in scholarship awards from its corporate sponsors directly to students in the form of scholarships and internships. This year’s award program was held in person after two years of being a virtual event and was held on the campus of Clark Atlanta University, Saturday, April 30, 11 a.m. -2 p.m.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to help prepare the mindset of future leaders in STEM, specifically, engineering. Our students are among the best and brightest and it brings me joy to be able to share the academic accomplishments of our students with others,” said Dr. Christopher G. Ellis, AUCC’s Program Manager for the Dual Degree Program and Career Services.
The Dual Degree Engineering Program was created to significantly build the number of minority engineers globally aware, socially engaged, and well equipped for scientific, technological, engineering, and mathematical careers. Since its conception, classes of innovators and disrupters have entered the job force forging a path to greatness. This year’s honorees join the ranks of more than 3500 students who have matriculated through the program.
This year’s corporate sponsors include; Accenture, Adient, Boeing, Carrier, ExxonMobil, John Wood Group, Norfolk Southern Company, Qualcomm, Southwire, and Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The support from these organizations shows their continued investment in the future of minorities in engineering.
Alexis Parker, a student at Spelman College, has been a part of the DDEP since her freshman year. Currently a senior pursuing a dual degree in Physics and Engineering, she began her collegiate career as a civil engineering major. Through an internship, she received through the program, she discovered a new interest and found an interest in nuclear engineering.
“I’m very grateful for the internship opportunities I’ve been able to receive. The program is rewarding and pushes you to achieve. It has taught me to be an effective communicator and focus on my specific concentration,” Parker said.
Parker is also president of the AUC Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). In this role, she will be awarding her peers during the upcoming awards ceremony. NSBE promotes the aspirations of collegiate and pre-collegiate students and technical professionals in engineering and technology. Membership is highly encouraged for DDEP students.
Parker credits the DDEP for helping prepare her to face issues in the engineering field, including being a Black woman. She values the AUC community for the opportunities provided to students and believes large companies look to the AUC for great job candidates.
“I grew up as a military brat. I was used to being the one Black girl in the class,” Parker said. Before calling the AUC home, she lived in Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and California. Looking back on her experience, she says, “It has taught me to be at home in whatever room I’m in. Meeting people from diverse backgrounds has influenced me as an individual.”
As of late, those rooms have been throughout the country as she’s traveled with the DDEP to partnering engineering institutions and national conferences learning more about the field of engineering.
Parker joined more than 60 of nearly 400 students currently being served by the DDEP across the campuses of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College being honored for their scholastic achievement.
Contact:
Teresa D. Southern
Communications Director
Atlanta University Center Consortium
tsouthern@aucenter.edu
(478) 320-7753
