Mechanical Engineering student Maria Rossana Ruiz has been selected as the 2017 winner of the National Technical Achievement Recognition STAR Award for Undergraduate Student Role Model by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Of over 130 nominations, Ruiz is one of the 21 winners announced for their contributions to the STEM field. “This is the most prestigious award given to an undergraduate student at a national level,” said Ruiz.
She has been an active member of SHPE since the fall of 2015 and has served as the President of the Prairie View A&M University chapter for the past two semesters. Nominated by members of her executive board, Ruiz said she received the “good news” in late September. Her initial reaction of being selected was appreciation. “I felt like we accomplished our chapter goals during our term,” said Ruiz, “Glory be to God because he is the most powerful one.”
Ruiz will travel to Kansas City, Missouri for the SHPE National Conference in November. During the conference, Ruiz and the other winners will be honored and presented with their awards. She said she is looking forward to several things like engineering hackathons, the career fair and receiving her award, but most importantly “empowering those students who truly understand the concept of SHPE, which begins with its mission, vision, and values,” said Ruiz.