We recently caught up with past recipients of our Simpson Strong-Tie Student Scholarship, part of our Strong-Tie Undergraduate Fellowship. The scholarship provides juniors and seniors majoring in architecture, civil or structural engineering, and construction management or technology at participating schools with $3,000 towards their education.
Providing these scholarships supports Company Value #2 Long-Range View, as these students will become future specifiers, recommenders, and users of our products and solutions. Hear from the students about what inspired them to become engineers and where they are in their careers today.
Name: Sylvia Richardson
College: University of Southern California
Major: Civil Engineering
Year Graduated: 2015
Why choose engineering as a career path?
I chose to study civil engineering because I had a passion for physics in high school and engineering seemed a great way to apply my interest in physics to real-world problems.
What are you up to now?
I graduated with my Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Science (M.S.) in civil engineering from USC in 2015. After graduating, I worked on international high-rise building projects in the Chicago office of Thornton Tomasetti. For the past six years, I’ve worked at Arup’s Los Angeles office on a wide range of project types, including new buildings and seismic retrofitting of existing structures.
I was introduced to Simpson Strong-Tie by several of my professors. They spoke highly of the company, and I had the privilege of visiting one of the Simpson Strong-Tie facilities, which my professor described as “Disneyland for engineers.” The scholarship provided financial support that allowed me to focus more on my studies and pursue opportunities that ultimately contributed to my professional growth. I am incredibly honored to have been a recipient of the Simpson Strong-Tie scholarship and now enjoy working with Simpson Strong-Tie in my professional career.
Name: Nicole O’Hearne
College: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Major: Architectural Engineering
Year Graduated: 2015
Why choose engineering as a career path?
I decided I wanted to be an architectural engineer when I was eight years old, so when I looked for colleges, that’s what I searched for. Cal Poly SLO stood out to me as the best program that focuses on the structural side of ARCE, and it was in a great place.
What are you up to now?
After graduation, I worked on various residential and commercial projects, art installations, and zip line roller coasters. The latter was through a collaboration with Holmes Solutions Adventure Recreation team. I took a break from structural engineering to get a graduate diploma in viticulture and enology from Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand. Currently, I’m a cellar intern at Heitz Cellar in Napa Valley. I’m on the Wine Production team working in the winery. Simpson Strong-Tie is a stand-up company with great products, people, and a great company culture. Their support helped me get through college so I could go on to my future endeavors worry-free and on a better financial footing.
Name: Calvin Boyd
College: University of Southern California
Major: Architectural Studies
Year Graduated: 2016
Why choose engineering as a career path?
I wanted to be an architect from a very young age, so my choice of college major was a given. I decided to move to California from Michigan to attend USC because of its strong design curriculum and the financial assistance I received.
What are you up to now?
I graduated from USC in 2016. Since then, I’ve received my Master of Architecture from Harvard University Graduate School of Design and worked full time for three years. I am a licensed healthcare architect at Payette Associates in Boston, MA. There are very few licensed African American architects. I am extremely proud that I achieved licensure early in my career and thankful to several sponsors and mentors who helped me get there. The Simpson Strong-Tie scholarship helped finance the costs of building/constructing models in school. Simpson Strong-Tie is a premier player in construction and connection design. I’m currently in the construction administration phase of a new build project and appreciate all the work and research that go into the design and manufacture of quality construction products!
Thank you to all our previous Simpson Strong-Tie Student Scholarship recipients for allowing us to reconnect with them. We extend our best wishes for success and happiness in your future endeavors and look forward to potential collaborations on upcoming projects involving our products.
In case you haven’t heard, the application period for the 2024–2025 school year is currently open. If you’re aware of someone who might be interested in applying for our scholarship, please let them know. The application deadline is March 15, 2024, at 3:00 pm CT.
