PRESS RELEASE
David McClennan Memorial Undergraduate Engineering Scholarships
Scholarships Awarded for LGBTQ+ STEM Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals Announces two David McLennan Memorial Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship Winners
Pasadena, CA, September 4, 2020 — Today, the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) is proud to announce the winners for the 2020 David McLennan Memorial Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship. This memorial scholarship honors David McLennan, the donor’s uncle, who helped the donor go to college her first year. David McLennan was an electrical engineer who dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
A $2500 scholarship was awarded to Sam Ayala who is a senior at the University of Notre Dame in a 4-1 Dual Degree Program with Saint Mary’s College. Sam graduated from Saint Mary’s Cum Laude in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Physics and is currently finishing up a second bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from Notre Dame with a concentration in Design & Manufacturing. Sam has passion for optimizing mechanical design for both operations and manufacturing.
Kelly Rojas is also receiving a $2500 scholarship. Kelly is a senior at Florida International University with a major in Biological Engineering and a career objective of working as a rehabilitation engineer. Kelly previously received a United Nations Millennium Fellowship and a Ronald E. McNair Fellowship among other scholarships.
About the David McLennan Memorial Scholarship:
A Special award category for the 2020/2021 academic year was created by the niece of David McLennan. This one-time scholarship gives $2500 to each of two LGBTQ+ undergraduate engineering students. All undergraduate engineering students who applied for NOGLSTP’s Out to Innovate Scholarships were considered for this one-time award. David McLennan, a gay man, was a pilot in the Korean War who earned his doctorate on the GI bill. Dr. McLennan did consulting work for NASA and dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
About NOGLSTP
NOGLSTP was established in 1980, incorporated in the state of California in 1991, and was granted IRS 501 (c) 3 nonprofit status in 1992. NOGLSTP is a professional society that educates and advocates for LGBTQ people in STEM. NOGLSTP presents educational symposia and workshops nationwide and fosters dialog with other professional societies, academia, and industry to facilitate diversity and inclusion in the workplace. NOGLSTP is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, is a participating professional society member of MentorNet®, a sustaining member of the National Postdoctoral Association, a member of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute Presidential Advisory Project’s Coalition, a partner with the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium, a partner of the Society for Women Engineers, a sustaining partner of the National Postdoctoral Association, and a founding member of the E-Week Diversity Council. For more information, visit the website at www.noglstp.org or contact scholarships at noglstp dot org.