Eden Torres, a senior studying Petroleum Engineering at the Cullen College of Engineering, is one of two recipients from the University of Houston of this year’s Andy Ellis Memorial Scholarship Award from the American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE).
Torres, a father of two, was also the 2023 Outstanding Junior for the Petroleum Engineering Department. He said that thee AADE was one of the first student organizations he got involved with after enrolling at UH.
“AADE is a national non-profit organization that its mission is to spread and share practical drilling technology knowledge among its members and those interested in the industry,” he said. “It has 11 professional chapters around the country and more than 20 college and university chapters. I started by going to AADE UH general meetings, info sessions and tailgates. I enjoyed that one of the main goals was to help students with their professional development. I also liked that the main chapter, AADE Houston, was there to support and mentor the school chapter.”
During his time at Cullen, Torres has held several roles with the student chapter of AADE.
“The first year, I got involved as a chair in the board. The following school year I then got the opportunity to serve as Vice President,” he said. “That year I was able to grow in my leadership skills. The part I enjoyed the most was that I was able to help my peers in their professional development too. Helping those around me is truly an honor and I enjoy doing it.”
Speaking about the Andy Ellis Memorial Scholarship Award, Torres called it an “honor” to be selected for the award.
“It is a privilege to me to be selected for such an honor,” he said. “I truly believe that part of my academic success was getting involved in this awesome organization. I encourage students to get involve, getting involved and being active in an organization not only gives you exposure to potential employers, but it most definitely helps to develop you to become a finer professional.”
This summer, Torres completed an internship with bp. He is scheduled to graduate in December 2023, and will begin a full-time position with the company.
“In my degree program, most students dream or have a goal of working for an operator. I am happy to share that I conquered that dream,” he said. “I accepted a full-time offer as a production engineer. I will be starting next year, after I graduate. I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity. After completing the summer internship, I saw what a great company they were and the people were outstanding. I'm so excited and I can't wait to start my career and continue to grow professionally with this amazing corporation.”