Scholarships create bold pathways for future UTSA graduates | UTSA Today | UTSA

Farah Hamed, senior finance major, was able to attend the Carlos Alvarez College of Business at UTSA with support from the H-E-B Endowed Scholarship. The award gave her the time to hold several roles in UTSA student organizations that enhanced her educational experience. She serves as both the president of the Business Student Council and as the justice of the UTSA Student Government Association. Hamed expressed that with her graduation fast approaching, she plans to attend graduate school and receive her Ph.D. to continue growing and learning for as long as she can.

“Thank you for taking a chance on me and making it possible to complete my education,” Hamed said.

Martin Ayala’s experience has been top-notch as a recipient of the Margie and Bill Klesse Endowed Scholarship in Chemical Engineering. Without the worry of financial barriers and the struggle of maintaining a job, Ayala has had the time to become heavily involved in research and other engineering opportunities alongside Gary Jacobs, assistant professor in chemical engineering. In the summer of 2021, Ayala had the opportunity to participate in the Undergraduate Research Experience at the University of Chicago, where he realized he wanted to pursue the industrial side of chemical engineering. He plans to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam after graduation with hopes of becoming a licensed Professional Engineer designing chemical processes for the semiconductor or energy industry.

“Thank you for believing in this program at UTSA and students like me,” Ayala said. “I am so grateful to be a Klesse Scholar. It is a wonderful feeling to have people like the both of you believe in me. You have pushed me to excel and gain even more than I thought was possible from my education.”

Rachel Okereke, a Peter T. Flawn Presidential Honors Scholarship recipient, is a senior civil engineering student in the Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at UTSA. With her mother having single-handedly raised four daughters after immigrating to the United States from Nigeria, Okereke says that her family has always had much financial need.

Thanks to her scholarship, she has become the first in her family to attend college. This generous support has made it possible for Okereke to pursue her goals in real estate and inspired her decision to pursue her master’s degree while working for an engineering firm.

“It means a lot to students like me that you think our efforts are worthy of support,” Okereke said. “Your support will go a long way in helping me to reach my goals.”