Temiloluwa “Temi” Ilori, a Computer Information Systems junior and first-generation college student, considers it a “huge honor” to have been recognized with the Cynthia Oliver Coleman P.E. Engineering Scholarship earlier this month.
Cynthia Oliver Coleman, P.E., was UH’s first Black woman chemical engineer, graduating in 1971. Since her graduation, and during and after a 33-year career at Exxon, Coleman has been an important supporter of University of Houston programs; she was inducted into the Cullen College of Engineering Bridgebuilder Society – the highest honor the college bestows upon a donor – in 2019.
“[This award] is a huge honor, because Cynthia Oliver Coleman is an alum from the College of Engineering as well, and she’s a brilliant woman,” said Ilori.
“She succeeded here when it was really just men in the room, so it was all her own wits and drive that brought her to where she is now. I don’t see a lot of women trying to get into engineering – and not only was she a woman, she was a Black woman – so to be recognized not just for my academics but for my potential as a future female engineer was definitely something that made me feel blessed.”
The scholarship, donated by Coleman herself and facilitated by the Society of Women Engineers–Houston Area (SWE-HA), awards its recipient – a high-achieving Black (or African American) female student majoring in an engineering discipline – with a monetary award for a year of study at UH.
Having already been involved with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) and ColorStack, Ilori joined SWE to “widen [her] horizons.”
“I thought that joining SWE might be a bit too broad for me because I was more interested in computer engineering, but after going to an event and connecting more with SWE members, I saw that it was broad but still gave me the empowerment and uplifting benefit of being in a room full of women who all have similar goals,” Ilori said.
“The computer science field is already cutthroat enough as it is, so last fall, I decided I needed to improve my GPA, work hard, up my networking skills, and talk to different people on campus. I needed to be in a space with people that understand me.”
Ilori worked hard to qualify for the scholarship before she applied, and it paid off.
“This award also gives me the financial stability to keep pushing forward,” she said. “School can be stressful, and affording it is stressful. Miss Coleman’s legacy motivates me to keep pouring back into people, helping other young women once I also get to the point where I’ve earned my degree and entered the workforce.
“I feel like a lot of people have poured into me, and it’s just such a beautiful feeling to feel like people are giving to you and you’re giving back. That sense of community is something that this scholarship has really allowed me to see.”
More information about the Cynthia Oliver Coleman P.E. Engineering Scholarship and other SWE scholarships can be found here.