Beca scholarships celebrate future leaders in engineering

On Thursday 1 August, five future leaders received Beca Engineering in Society Scholarships at an evening ceremony held at the University of Canterbury. Beca has supported the scholarship programme since 2009, and every year we celebrate the exceptional achievements of talented engineering students.

The evening saw three scholarships awarded to five outstanding individuals studying for a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons).

Two Second Professional Year scholarships, worth $3,000 each, were awarded to Holly Blakely and civil engineering student Luis John.

Worth $3,500 each, two Third Year Professional Year scholarships went to mechatronics engineering student Nicolas Krause and software engineering student Matilda Porterfield.

The Phil Gillon Memorial Scholarship was awarded to third year chemical and process engineering student Emma Rees. Named after Phil Gillon, one of Beca’s regional leaders, who was passionate about developing budding engineering talent, the scholarship is awarded to a student in their third year engineering student who demonstrates excellent leadership potential and a passion to contribute to society through the engineering profession.

Letitia Drury, Beca Regional Manager – Southern and University of Canterbury graduate, attended the ceremony to celebrate the students’ achievements in person. Proud to present the scholarships, she said, “It was very apparent that all the students I spoke with are very passionate about what they do, and have a very real desire to contribute to society through the engineering profession and to influence the future in helping build more resilient and self-reliant communities.”

“I think the future of our profession lies in good hands as we look to the future. I wish them all the very best for their futures.”

Beca is proud to support outstanding students and their achievements through various scholarship programmes, including the University of Canterbury, University of Auckland and Ngāi Tahu whanau.