2019 Dallas SWE High School Scholarship Recipients

Kiara Berry will attend Texas A&M University where she will major in Computer Science. She is currently the Vice President of Marcus High School Women in STEM and the Spanish Honor Society. Academically, she is both an Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors and a National Hispanic Recognition Scholar. Kiara is also an excellent tennis player and has been a member of the Varsity Tennis Team for 3 years. Recognizing that volunteerism is very important to her, Kiara is very involved in several organizations in the community and at her church. She is the founder of Breakfast Buddies, a math tutor program for 5th graders.

Janavi will attend the University of Pennslyvania, majoring in Computer Science. In addition to being a National Advanced Placement Scholar, Janavi is the Treasurer of the National Honor Society, member of the FIRST Robotics team 6832 Iron Reign, and a winner of the Lenovo App Scholar Challenge.  For the past two years, she has worked with the Environmental Education Initiative (EEI) and has received grants from both EEI and Parsons Innovation Challenge to create an agricultural environmental sensor. She plans to work with EEI this summer to continue research on how to decrease water usage in the Dallas region. In addition to her volunteer work with Spark STEM, a program hosted at the School of Science and Engineering that has impacted over 200 DFW middle school girls through interactive STEM experiments, Janavi is a volunteer for Big Thought Dallas. And along with her Robotics team, she teaches kids how to 3D model create and code robots with the EV3 Lego sets in a Mobile Learning Lab, a renovated 90s R.V. that is driven to underserved communities in the Dallas region.

Caitlin Montgomery will attend University of Texas at Austin where she will major in Mechanical Engineering. She is the president of the Chess Club and Engineering Club and looks forward to participating in similar clubs at college. She participated in engineering courses through Project Lead the Way where she strengthened her passion for engineering. She also was a participant in the NASA High School Aerospace Scholars Program. Caitlin combined her love of engineering and volunteering through a partnership between her school district and a group called “Go Baby Go” where she was able to modify ride-on cars to meet specific needs for children with disabilities. She hopes to continue to integrate engineering and community service throughout college and her career.

Joana Ortiz Jimenez will attend Texas Tech University majoring in Civil Engineering. She is a member of the Marching and Varsity Concert Band and has participated in the University Interscholastic League Texas State Solo and Ensemble competitions. Joana is a member of her school’s student council focused on student activities and fundraising. Because of her interest in civil engineering, she is a mentee in the Architecture, Construction & Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program. She was also selected to participate in the Dallas Mayor’s Intern Fellow Program with a company focused on engineering construction and architecture. To support her community, Joana is a member of the Interact Club specifically supporting elementary education and literacy

Karen Sculley will attend University of Texas Austin majoring in Chemical Engineering. She has immersed herself into the Future Problem Solving Program both in Texas and Internationally for 4 years winning many different awards. Her critical thinking skills and fascination with how the world works, supported her participation in National Honor Society, her selection as a National Merit Finalist and her success as a qualifier in the state Science Olympiad. Karen is an accomplished musician in both the piano and saxophone and has participated in the University Interscholastic League Texas State Solo and Ensemble competitions. She hopes to use her desire to learn the answers to the many how’s and why’s of the world to produce new what’s to change the future.

Kaitlynn Soo will be attending the University of Pennsylvania this fall as part of the Jerome Fisher Management and Technology Program – a dual-degree in Engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Business at the Wharton School. Her passion for engineering stems from her experience as a NASA High School Aerospace Scholar, as a founding member of the FIRST Robotics team 2714 BBQ, as an intern at the Dallas County Public Works, and as a finance-technology intern utilizing machine-learning at a multi-billion dollar hedge fund. Outside of school, Kaitlynn has also represented Team USA as a former USA Taekwondo National Team Member in competitions worldwide. She has also been a Girl Scout for over 12 years and is a proud Girl Scout Gold Award recipient. At her school, she is the founder and President of the Broadcasting club, the Vice President of the Science Honor Society, an Ursuline Ambassador, and a member of the Junior World Affairs Council. She also enjoys tutoring ESL students in partnership with the YMCA, volunteering at her church, and cooking for residents of the Hillcrest House – a shelter for individuals with HIV/AIDS. Kaitlynn is excited to see where her future engineering career will take her and hopes to use her education to change the world.

Katherine Vaught will attend Texas Tech University and major in Civil Engineering. She currently participates in Robotics and Varsity Powerlifting and serves as President of the National Honor Society and Parliamentarian of Student Council.  She also plays guitar, performing benefit concerts for the local creative arts center and local scholarship funds.  In addition, she organized a regular series of concerts at the Clyde Cosper Texas State Veterans’ Home. After attending a Women in Engineering event at a nearby university, Katherine discovered a place where her love of mathematics and problem solving came together.  Her current goal is to put herself through college, graduating with as little debt as possible.

Alisha is a current student at Collin College working toward her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering degree and a potential transfer to the University of Texas Dallas.  She is the President of the Collin College SWE section and was the leader of the 2018 Resume Workshop and the 2019 Mock Interview sessions – helping to prepare members for internships and career positions. Her leadership enabled Collin College SWE members to attend the SWE Denver WE Local conference by gathering funding and support from the Collin College community.  The Collin College SWE section continues to benefit from Alisha’s leadership in all its activities.

Marissa is a recent Mechanical Engineering graduate from Southern Methodist University. She will join GE Aviation as a design engineer in the Edison Engineering Development Program. She has been the President of the SMU SWE section for the last year and was previously the Vice President of External Affairs and Special Event Chair. As President, one of Marissa’s goals was to grow the mentoring opportunities in the organization. She led the section in creating four successful mentoring events this year. The mentoring events and the first annual Professional Dress Fashion Show, created by Marissa, will be carried on to support members as they transition to the workforce. Marissa plans to remain an active member of SWE after graduation