2010-2011 TxAPA Scholarship Award Winners
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TxAPA awards scholarships to full-time students regularly enrolled at sophomore level or above and pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree in Civil Engineering/Construction Science/Technology. We are most interested in solid students who have demonstrated an interest in this field through their choice of summer or part-time employment. Their grade point average is not significant as long as the student is solid and consistent. We want those students who may very likely pursue the road building industry as a career in Texas after completion of their education.
Recommendations for qualified recipients were solicited from industry leaders, universities and TxDOT representatives in October of last year. The Board of Directors provided scholarship applications to each student who was recommended and carefully reviewed each application received prior to awarding this year’s scholarships in early February.
Each of this year’s recipients was asked to send a current picture and a brief overview of their future endeavors. Please find this along with their scholastic information below. We at TxAPA along with our Board of Directors are pleased to announce the following 2010 Texas Asphalt Pavement Association Scholarship recipients:
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Alexis Antolak Clark
Currently attending the University of Texas at Austin as a Junior majoring in Civil Engineering.
In Spring 2012 I will study abroad at the Technical University of Vienna to research materials science and master the German language. Upon earning degrees in both Civil Engineering and German, I plan to attend graduate school for either Materials Science or Historic Preservation. I aspire to restore underutilized infrastructure in effort to make structures more functional, conserve materials and preserve cultural masterpieces. |
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Cody Austin Green
Currently attending the University of Texas at Arlington as a Sophomore majoring in Civil Engineering.
My future plans consist of continuing my education at the University of Texas at Arlington in order to obtain a Civil Engineering degree and to continue my employment with Austin Bridge & Road, where I aspire to one day be the Vice President of Operations. Mr. Tim Cresson, existing Vice President of Operations at Austin Bridge & Road, currently serves as my role model as I desire to follow in his footsteps. Much like he did, I know with my continued education, experience, determination and integrity, I too can be successful and climb the corporate ladder. |
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William Semora, Jr.
Currently attending the University of Texas at San Antonio as a Senior majoring in Civil Engineering.
My future plans for civil engineering are to start an engineering career in the transportation industry. Upon Graduation (May 2012), I would like to start my career by working for the Texas Department of Transportation. Specifically, I have interest in road development and the design of transportation structures. Just like any aspiring engineer, my next goal after college is to obtain my Professional Engineering license and continue to practice in the transportation sector. As for my future, I feel that I am very driven to come up with the next best thing in the engineering society and am willing to let my career follow where those ambitions lead me. |
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Francois Mingalu Kimfila
Francois is currently attending Texas Tech University as a Senior majoring in Civil Engineering.
My future plans include the pursuit of a career in highway engineering. Not only do I have a passion for engineering, but also a vision of providing and maintaining a safe infrastructure for the needs of society today. |
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Victor Cantu
Currently attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering.
Attending MIT has already opened so many doors for me that I am extremely excited to see where my life takes me. I want to become a civil engineer to improve the process and materials that play such an integral part of life. Because of this, after receiving my degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I plan on returning to Texas and working as a civil engineer. |
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Erik Kolarik
Currently attending Texas A&M as a Junior majoring in Construction Science.
Howdy! My name is Erik Kolarik and I am the loudest and proudest member of the Fightin’ Aggie Class of 2012. I am currently a junior at Texas A&M University studying Construction Science. After graduation, I would like to go to work in the heavy/civil sector as a project engineer. After a few years of working at this level, I would then eventually like to become a project manager and end my career as an estimator. I have chosen this path because I want to learn the field operations at an early point in my career so later on I can manage and bid on jobs. Construction is a fascinating industry and I look forward to working on various types of jobs. Thank you for your generous contribution towards my future in construction. |
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Jonathon Cannon
Currently attending Texas A&M as a Senior majoring in Civil Engineering.
Upon graduation I am hoping to pursue a career with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) in the Waco area but I am also pursuing opportunities at several other civil engineering firms. If possible I would like to stay with TxDOT long-term and immediately begin pursing my P.E. license. Depending on my career status, I also plan to attend graduate school at Texas A&M sometime in the near future. If I am employed with TxDOT in Waco, I will most likely continue to reside in my hometown of Troy, Texas. |
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Robert Tomlinson
Currently attending Texas A&M as a Junior majoring in Construction Science.
I have interned with SEMA Construction during the summer and fall and am thankful for the education and support they have provided. I plan on graduating in the year of 2012 from Texas A&M University at College Station with a Construction Science Degree. After graduation, I plan on working with a heavy highway company. A friend from Texas A&M and I plan on creating our own construction company in the future, after a few years in the construction business. I will be using the knowledge gained from working with a heavy highway company, school and hard work to help make our construction company successful. |
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Aaron Lofton
Currently attending Texas A&M as a Sophomore majoring in Construction Science.
Currently, I work for the Texas Department of Transportation in the Bryan District Construction Lab, where I am able to work with different people from around our district testing HMA. I am also a student in the Construction Science program at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. My future plans are to finish my last two years here at A&M while working for TxDOT. Although a lot remains unclear, one certainly is that I hope to fulfill my internship requirement with a company that specializes in heavy civil engineering construction and continue my career building the infrastructure that keeps moving. |
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James Ross McMillan
Currently attending Texas Tech University as a Senior majoring in Civil Engineering.
In the short term, I look forward to graduating and beginning my career in the transportation industry, hopefully with a focus in HMAC. Along with my career plans, there is a young lady in my life that I hope to marry in the near future. In the long term I would really like to research and hopefully one day develop a higher quality HMAC that can be produced in such a way that minimizes this field’s environmental impact and can also be done in an economically sound fashion.
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We will begin taking recommendations for next year’s program around October of this year. As always, we appreciate all the time and effort from all parties involved. Thanks so much to everyone; we look forward to next year's recipients. |
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