ECE ILLINOIS students earn $670,000 in scholarships, fellowships, and awards

5/21/2015 Meg Dickinson, ECE ILLINOIS

ECE ILLINOIS recently recognized nearly 145 undergraduate students and 35 graduate students with $670,000 in scholarships, awards, and fellowships.

Written by Meg Dickinson, ECE ILLINOIS

ECE ILLINOIS recently recognized nearly 145 undergraduate students and 35 graduate students with scholarships, awards, and fellowships.

Deeksha Singh Vijay Singh, left, a recipient of the Oakley Scholarship, is pictured with Sakshi Srivastava, a winner of the Edward C. Jordan Award.
Deeksha Singh Vijay Singh, left, a recipient of the Oakley Scholarship, is pictured with Sakshi Srivastava, a winner of the Edward C. Jordan Award.

The students received a total of about $670,000 associated with such honors, a nearly 10 percent increase from the amount the department awarded during the 2013-14 school year.

The scholarships, fellowships, and awards are awarded with the support of generous donors, who are alumni, friends, and corporate sponsors of the department. The recipients were honored May 1, 2015, at the department’s annual banquet in Champaign.

“We are so grateful for those who make these recognitions of excellence possible,” said Department Head William H. Sanders. “Without their generosity, we would not be able to reward our students for their hard work.”

The department awarded a total of about $360,000 in scholarships - from about 40 endowed funds - to about 110 ECE undergraduates. Twenty graduate students were recognized with a total of 13 fellowships, which support their research and allow them the opportunity to study at ECE ILLINOIS.

Alumna Indira Saladi addresses recipients at ECE ILLINOIS' annual Student and Faculty Awards and Recognition Banquet.
Alumna Indira Saladi addresses recipients at ECE ILLINOIS' annual Student and Faculty Awards and Recognition Banquet.

“We are so proud of our students’ accomplishments this year,” Sanders said, “and we are honored to recognize them in this way.”

Alumna Indira Saladi (BSEE '90) addressed students at the banquet. She believes they've already learned the skills they'll need to forge successful careers and lead fulfilling lives.

"The traits I believe are critical to success -- perseverance, attitude, and purpose -- are ones that you have learned and honed here at ECE,” Saladi told students. “Your first VHDL design in ECE 385, Digital Systems Lab, taught you perseverance. Building an operating system from the ground up in ECE 391, Computer Systems Engineering, helped you focus on diligence like nothing else can in life.”

She found that the academic rigor of ECE taught her to set goals and take steps toward reaching them.

"These traits have been foundational for my success and they will be for you as well," Saladi said.

To read more about how endowed funds and other gifts support ECE ILLINOIS students, read more of our giving stories.


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This story was published May 21, 2015.