During the pandemic, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) sold lab kits containing valuable parts such as probes, breadboards, wires, and resistors to undergraduate electrical engineering students for their classes. Selling these lab kits was part of an initiative that led to the creation of the IEEE USF Student Branch Leadership Scholarship. During this time, the IEEE raised enough money to make a $5,000 donation with the hope that the next executive board will raise enough to fully endow the scholarship and carry on its legacy.
This year, the outgoing IEEE USF Executive Board donated $25,000 to fully endow the scholarship! According to Utkarsh Misra, chair for the USF student branch, raising these funds was extremely important to him to help the next generation.
“As an international student, adjusting to the cultural differences and navigating academics was challenging, but being a part of IEEE USF made it so much easier. I received excellent mentorship from chapter leaders Noah Hamilton and Hunter Ireland, and their day-to-day leadership inspired me to take on a leadership role. When I held my first general body meeting in the fall, I saw many freshmen just like me in the crowd, and my desire to give back to the community grew stronger. Just as my predecessors helped me during my time at USF, I wanted to support the next generation,” Utkarsh said.
Utkarsh mentioned how raising these funds was a team effort and how appreciative he is for everyone’s hard work, especially being a scholarship recipient when he started.
“As a recipient of the IEEE USF Leadership Scholarship, I made it my goal to fundraise enough to endow this scholarship. I am extremely proud of our team, and I want to especially thank Roberto Montero, our fundraising chair, for his significant contributions. Without the efforts of many dedicated individuals, this remarkable accomplishment would not have been possible.”
Noah Hamilton, previous IEEE USF Chair (2020-2022) was excited to learn that the scholarship is now fully endowed and ready to help future electrical engineering students.
Noah said, “Learning that the leadership scholarship has become endowed has been very uplifting. During my time as IEEE Chair, my goals were simple: have fun and help others. It is very encouraging knowing that my leadership alongside other board members was able to make a lasting difference for future students who can then in turn give back. I’m proud to be a USF alumnus and will continue making a positive impact in the world!”
Previous IEEE USF Vice Chair (2020-2022) J. Hunter Ireland was also ecstatic to hear the scholarship that began during his tenure is now fully endowed.
“I am proud that in just two years since ratifying the scholarship, guaranteed allotments will support future engineers in their academic careers. My gratitude goes to the past executive boards and the Department of Electrical Engineering in accomplishing this feat. This achievement represents an important portion of IEEE’s mission by supporting engineering students in their desire to advance technology for the benefit of humanity,” said Hunter.