As part of its mission to support the next generation of skilled engineers and architects, the Houston Hispanic Architects and Engineers (HHAE) are funding a scholarship to support upperclassmen at the University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design.
HHAE is a local non-profit organization that was founded more than 40 years ago with a mission to unite, promote and connect Hispanic engineering and architecture professionals.
“We have had a high school scholarship program since the early 2000s, but after hosting our inaugural Annual Gala in 2022, we have been growing exponentially and wanted to find a way to expand our scholarship program outside of just high schools,” said Claudia Alanis Harris, the 2024 HHAE president and the Director of Business Development for Entech. “Because we are a local organization, we chose to pursue an endowment with the University of Houston since it is a local leading university and many of our members are alumni.”
Harris said the scholarship is aimed at upperclassmen, to give them that “final push” to get across the finish line of graduation.
“The majority of our membership is made up of individuals in the transportation and infrastructure sectors working with government clients, such as Harris County and the surrounding counties, the City of Houston and surrounding cities, and the Texas Department of Transportation. We hope that this scholarship continues to further grow the Hispanic representation amongst engineering and architecture professionals!”
HHAE has honored several UH and Cullen members in the recent past. Mackrena Ramos, a Cullen graduate, was recognized as the 2024 Engineer of the Year. The 2024 Community Leader Award was won by Estella Gonzalez, also a UH graduate. The 2022 Architect of the Year Award went to Benito Guerrier, AIA, a graduate of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture.
The HHAE Scholarship will be hosted by the University of Houston Alumni Association Foundation (UHAAF). Students may apply for the scholarship via the UHAAF portal — applications are currently open and run through April 15. The UHAAF Scholarship Committee will review the applicant pool and select a recipient shortly thereafter.
The scholarships for Houston area high school students are also still available. For more information on those or about the HHAE, visit the organization’s website.