Cal State Los Angeles student Moises Aldape used to fix broken toys as a child in Mexico. Now a freshman studying mechanical engineering, the Boyle Heights resident has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship by a nonprofit organization that encourages students from under-served communities to pursue a degree in STEM education.
“With this award, I can be less stressed with finances and am motivated to be more focused on my college studies,” said Aldape in a press release.
The GREAT Minds in STEM U.S Navy Scholarship helps students all over the country pay tuition and buy books and gives them the opportunity to sign up for the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Student Employment Program. It’s meant to incorporate academic and work life together, to prepare students for their future in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) career. Aldape says he wants to get a master’s degree after graduating and eventually become an engineer with NAVSEA.
Aldape will also get to go to the 29th annual Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation Conference.
Aldape attended Roosevelt High School and is one of six CSU Los Angeles students to receive this award.
