Prestigious Hawkins Scholarship awarded to 2 UTEP students
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP students Brianna Emily Ortega and Eduardo Gutierrez just received the Hawkins Scholarship. University officials describe the scholarship as UTEP's highest award for scholarship and leadership.
Ortega, a native El Pasoan and junior biological sciences major, says she has a lifelong passion for science and hopes to pursue a doctorate and conduct breast cancer research.
“Receiving the Hawkins scholarship has been an amazing opportunity to further develop myself as a professional and scholar,” Ortega said. “I look forward to representing UTEP in a positive light while I pursue my career in cancer research.”
Gutierrez, who grew up in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso and is currently a junior at UTEP, is studying biological sciences with a minor in psychology and a concentration in biomedical science.
"His desire to become a physician was cemented by an experience doing research into congenital disorders with Anita Quintana, Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences," a UTEP spokesperson explained. "Gutierrez recently concluded an internship at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas."
UTEP President Heather Wilson established the Hawkins Scholarship and named it for 1st Lt. William Dean Hawkins, an engineering student at the Texas College of Mines. Hawkins served as a Marine after Pearl Harbor and commissioned as an officer. He died in action in World War II. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroic acts above and beyond the call of duty.
"The Hawkins Scholarship application and selection process is modeled after competitive graduate scholarship programs like the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell and Gates Cambridge scholarships," UTEP's spokesperson explained Tuesday. "Each Hawkins Scholarship, bestowed annually to two UTEP juniors, comes with a $10,000 award that may be used to pay for educational expenses or experiences that enhance the scholar’s undergraduate education in preparation for graduate school. These expenses can include tuition, fees, room and board, books and special educational experiences, including undergraduate research and study abroad."
