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Supporting the next generation of STEM leaders is an integral part of our firm’s core values, and we are proud to sponsor scholarships with schools and national student organizations to develop the next generation of engineers. This includes scholarships with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM). 

We met with some of our recent scholarship recipients to learn more about how they’re hoping to make a difference through a career in STEM. 

Asmy Sylvain, NSBE Scholarship recipient

Asmy is a junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.

Born in Florida and raised in Haiti, Asmy witnessed the devastation in Haiti that resulted from the catastrophic earthquake in 2010, which fueled his passion to pursue a career as a transportation engineer with an interest in highway design. He is hoping to use his career path to develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure that can withstand natural disasters and make communities safer.

He currently serves as Chapter Senator of UMass Amherst’s NSBE Chapter, where he recently attended the 50th Annual NSBE Convention in Chicago and accepted the Region 1 Large Collegiate Chapter Award on behalf of the chapter. He also has internship experience working as a transportation engineer on MassDOT roadway projects as well as in renewable energy where he has worked on a wind turbine and solar-powered water pump system.

MacKenzie Fountain. NSBE Scholarship recipient

MacKenzie Fountain, a junior at Cornell University, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering.

Her pursuit of a career in environmental engineering resulted in part from her experience growing up in a rural area in Indiana and learning about the process of eutrophication (harmful algae blooms caused by an excess of nitrogen or other nutrients in a body of water) and its impacts. MacKenzie is hoping to tackle environmental challenges with innovative solutions that balance human needs and ecological integrity. 

At Cornell, she is involved as a Co-Peer Advisor and mentor for first-year engineering students, as well as the university’s education club, in which students teach a middle school and high school class for a day. She also served as Pre-Collegiate Initiative Chair of the university’s NSBE chapter, where she helped to organize community outreach and events with K-12 students in local schools and organizations. 

Sophie Groff, oSTEM Scholarship recipient

Sophie Groff is a third-year mechanical engineering student at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

ophie is particularly interested in pursuing environmental sustainability in her work, having seen the impacts of climate change and run-off, growing up in an agricultural community. She’s expanded upon that interest in electric drive systems and mobility through joining her university’s Hot Wheelz Team to design and construct a solar-powered racing vehicle, as well as through her current co-operative education placement helping to analyze and design automotive powertrain units for a company in Michigan. She serves as a mentor and on the leadership board of the Women Engineers to help inspire fellow women in STEM.

Know an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing a career in STEM at an accredited university? Our Spring NSBE scholarships are open until June 30.