The College of Engineering at Oregon State University launched the Catalyst Scholars Program in 2020 in partnership with donors passionate about student success. The program aims to bridge the gap between traditional funding sources — loans, grants, scholarships, personal income — and the cost of attendance for students who are the first generation of their family to attend college, who demonstrate high achievement, and who have unmet financial need.
The scholarship helps propel qualified students across the finish line, with $8,000 in annual tuition and fee assistance. And, since students are more likely to graduate when they participate in activities that make their coursework come alive, it provides an additional $2,000 to explore experiential learning activities such as undergraduate research, student clubs, internships, and leadership development.
Impact of the Catalyst Scholarships
As of Fall 2024, the college will be supporting 53 students through the Catalyst Scholars Program, representing a $530,000 commitment to the educational experiences of these students. All are Oregon residents, more than three-fourths are the first in their families to attend college, more than three-fourths identify as members of groups underrepresented in higher education, and almost all have high financial need in order to attend college.
Catalyst Scholar Jordan Cook
JORDAN COOK, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SPANISH ’26, competed in high-level robotics competitions in high school. She is drawn to both programming and Spanish by the ability to communicate and build with language. Cook, who spent time working for Corvallis’ dual-language immersion elementary school, will use her Catalyst Experiential Funds to study abroad in Queretaro, Mexico, during the Fall 2024 term. After graduation, she hopes to join the Peace Corps, assisting child education or small business growth in a Spanish-speaking country.
“Having my tuition secure, knowing that I can afford college, is why I made the decision to do the Spanish major. I have to take extra credits for two majors, so with the added cost, I probably wouldn’t have done it without the Catalyst Scholars Program.”
Catalyst Scholar Kevin Do
KEVIN DO, ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING ’25, spent the summer of 2023 in Korea taking machine learning classes. The Catalyst Experiential Funds covered international flights, tuition, and housing, allowing Do to make the most of his time in Asia. After studying, he took a trip to Japan with friends he made in Korea before heading back to Oregon. Do finds the relationship between electricity and engineering fascinating and will begin an internship with Intel designing computer chips this upcoming year.
“The trip to Korea was the first time I traveled outside of the country by myself. I was not as prepared as I thought I was, but after classes started, I was able to visit new places. It was enjoyable and really made my summer.”
Experiential Learning
Twenty-five students have accessed their Catalyst Experiential Learning Funds. Those funds supported:
- Involvement in a research lab on campus.
- A research project on STEM education in Washington.
- Software development in conjunction with Oregon State’s InnovationX program.
- A trip to a Baja SAE club competition.
- A service-learning experience in Hawaii.
- Training sessions for utilizing Six Sigma practices in health care.
- Attendance at a Hispanic leadership conference.
- Living expenses during internships outside Corvallis (Bend, Oregon; Gresham, Oregon, New York City; Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, Washington).
- Study abroad experiences in Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and Spain.
Catalyst Scholar Jonathon Guzman
JONATHON GUZMAN, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ’26, who uses he/she/they pronouns, is conducting research in Oregon State’s mathematics department focused on inclusivity in math education. They conducted similar research during an internship at Washington State University’s physics department. Guzman enjoys developing new technology related to artificial intelligence and hopes to complete a master’s degree at Oregon State through the Accelerated Master’s Program. They also compete for Oregon State’s Rock Climbing Club, having won first place in the nonbinary section in Spring 2023.
“The Catalyst Scholars Program provides community. I know most of the Catalyst Scholars, so in the lecture halls filled with 300 people, it’s nice to see a familiar face.”
Catalyst Scholar Shirley Lam
SHIRLEY LAM, ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING ’25, works in the Sensors and Integrated Microelectronics Lab as a Semiconductor Research Corporation scholar under the direction of associate professor Matthew Johnston, researching the fabrication of stretchable electronics and embedded glucose sensors. She loves learning about new hardware and will be interning at Daimler Trucks North America in Portland this summer, primarily working on sensors for hydrogen fuel cells for the company’s SuperTruck project.
“The Catalyst Scholarship gave me a chance to be more independent because I don’t have family support for college. So, being able to attend Oregon State without student loans is really important to me. It definitely helped to relieve that burden.”
For more information, contact Aimee Jirak, Senior Director of Development, College of Engineering, Aimee.Jirak@osufoundation.org
