23 students recognized by CCAA at E-Week reception

More than 20 students were honored at the newly-rebranded University of Houston Cullen College Alumni Association's Engineering Week (E-Week) Industry Award Reception, held in the O’Quinn Great Hall on Feb. 24. 

The Cullen College Alumni Association (CCAA) now reflects the 10 different departments and three campuses serviced by the College. Beyond the traditional engineering courses, Cullen now offers information science technology, supply chain and logistics, construction management and other disciplines. 

The E-Week Industry Award Reception, now in its 22nd year, provides an opportunity to recognize students excelling. This year’s theme, “Transform Their Future,” was selected by the National Engineers Week organization. About $29,000 was awarded to students at this year’s event. 

Carmel Glumac, a project manager at Kiewit and a lecturer in Construction Management, served as the event chair. The keynote speaker was Willy Verbrugghe, who has served as CEO of $6 billion international industrial manufacturing technology companies and four technology startups. 

After a brief introduction from Glumac, the night opened with remarks from Yulanda Campbell, President of the Cullen College Alumni Association.

“It is truly a pleasure to have you here as we celebrate engineering and technology alumni, congratulate outstanding students and inspire future leaders,” she said. “We owe our appreciation to our event founder, Cynthia Oliver Coleman, PE. A proud University of Houston graduate, Cynthia made history in 1971 as the first Black woman to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at UH. Tonight, we are honored to celebrate her legacy and continue a tradition of transforming future engineers.”

Glumac said she was inspired by the 23 students receiving awards. 

“They bring an energy and enthusiasm that is unique to this generation,” she said. “It’s been more than 20 years since I received my diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology. A lot has changed on our campus, across our industries and around the globe. What hasn’t changed is the power of people to transform the future.”

The students receiving awards this year, alphabetically by organization: 

• BGE Scholarships: Maged Korayem and John Nguyen
• Carmel Glumac Biomedical Engineering Award: Rusheel Mittakanti
• GK Engineering Scholarships: Samuel Bolusteve, Sai Ooi and Thomas Vu
• Jomar Electrical Scholarship: Daniel Khan
• Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board Dr. John Lee Engineering Legacy: Aarati Agri
• Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board Dr. Thomas Holley Engineering Professionalism: Azamat Sabyrov
• Petroleum Engineering Advisory Board Petroleum Engineering Minds: Constant Koui
• Huerta Scholarships: Nicholas DiGiovanni and Isaiah Mejia
• Shell Moving Our Values Through Engineering Awards: Manali Catherine Ghurye, Ismail Kahriman, Madeline King, Chidiebere Nwagboso, Mia Rodriguez and Evelyn Rojas
• UH CCAA Emerging Engineering Leader: Cardin Tran
• UH CCAA Excel in Engineering Award: Shalaka Dhavalikar
• UH CCAA Future Builders Engineering: Kathryn Kalchik
• UH CCAA Transform Their Future Technology Scholarship: Calvin Nguyen
• UH CCAA Transform Your Future: Raess Jawaid

All students received a $1,000 scholarship for each their respective honors, which is double the amount from previous years. 

In addition to the E-Week awards, four other students were recognized for awards. 

• Jeanne Perdue Friends of Jeanne Scholarship Endowment: Adelina Blue
• Wayne Joseph Andrade Student Leadership Endowment: Nicholas Miller
• Ehsan Bayat / New Dawn Energy Award Outstanding Petroleum Engineering Junior: Fernanda Pereira De Azevedo
• Ehsan Bayat / New Dawn Energy Award Outstanding Petroleum Engineering Senior: Christina Castillo

New Dawn Energy Award recipients received $2,500 each, while the other awards were for $500 each. 

For more information about joining CCAA or contributing to the scholarship fund, visit the organization’s website. For more photos from the event, visit our Flickr gallery.