Philanthropy in Action: S & B Engineers Brookshire Scholarship Rewards Working Students
June 29, 2020
Balancing work and school can be challenging for LSU students. Thanks to the generous
legacy of a chemical engineering alumnus, however, students in the College of Engineering
can focus more on achieving their goals. The S & B Engineers Brookshire Scholarship
in Engineering rewards full-time undergraduate students in the college who have a
combined employment and coursework schedule of 30 hours or more. This award is a testament
to LSU engineering students’ hard work and academic progress.
Judy Wornat, dean of the College of Engineering, believes this investment in students has far-reaching results.
“It makes the College of Engineering a magnet for motivated, hard-working students that want to come, get a great education, and then go out there and put it to work,” she said.
With a graduation rate of 95%, Brookshire scholars far exceed the national average for college students. These students, from a variety of backgrounds and majors, use the scholarship as a catalyst for their future success.
“The Brookshire Scholarship took such a huge weight off my shoulders,” said Jack Thibodeaux, mechanical engineering major. “I saw a huge impact in the quality of schoolwork I was able to do.”
Chemical engineering major Amoni McNair added, “I want to work in the food processing industry. I’m going to make some type of impact, whether it’s increasing production rates or making food healthier. I’m very grateful to have a lot of hands-on experience with all of the state-of-the-art equipment.”
Craig Harvey, associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering said, “We want them to be communicators, we want them to be team players, we want them to be entrepreneurs.”
By incentivizing students to work hard and adopt a balanced life, the S & B Engineers
Brookshire Scholarship follows in the legacy of William Brookshire. Brookshire graduated
from the LSU College of Engineering with a master’s degree in 1959 and PhD in 1961,
both in chemical engineering. He established this scholarship because of his passion
to assist engineering students, particularly those who work to provide for their own
education and living expenses. It was his hope that, through this scholarship, students
would have the opportunity to better balance employment and coursework to ensure a
successful future. Brookshire’s passing in 2017 left a legacy of hard work, generosity,
and a dedication to help students succeed. His generous legacy is carried on by his
daughter and son-in-law, Lori and John Garrison, as well as his close personal friend
and colleague, Dean Quinn.
The impact of this scholarship is seen in the life of each student.
“I really love my job,” said Bobby Tezeno, petroleum engineering major. “I get to keep doing what I like and still have the means to provide for what I need in school. It inspires me to also want to start a fund like this for my high school so that kids in that area can get financial support.”
To learn more about philanthropy in action or to make your impact through giving, visit www.lsufoundation.org/givetoengineering.