This International Women's Day, we are very proud to celebrate the incredible legacy Michele Baum has left behind with the Allen, Dena, and Michele Baum Scholarship Fund in addition to our international BCAM campaign. Through this vision and dedication, Michele and her family have empowered and inspired young innovators to pursue their dreams. ​

 

Check out the amazing accomplishments of last year's Boca Bearings ACCEL Scholarship recipients! We're so proud of these future engineers, and we can't wait to see what they'll achieve in the future!

 

Below are their life updates. Enjoy the read! 

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Eleanor Hopkins 

 

My favorite experience this far at university has been making lots of friends. Over the first semester, you may meet a lot of people but not make a ton of friends, thanks to my clubs I have made many great friendships.

 

I picked up rowing, currently, I am working on rowing 22,000 meters for the Mission 22 February Challenge, which raises awareness for veteran suicide and provides help to veterans in need.

 

I have joined Embry-Riddle's Formula SAE team, I work on the composites sub-team. Working with carbon fiber has been an interesting new skill to learn, not only the material itself but the work that goes into molding and shaping it into the Formula car. 

 

I have met many interesting people, my roommate and suitemates are amazing people and they are always fun to be around.

 

Sincerely,

 

Eleanor Hopkins 

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Olivia Reeves

 

My favorite experience has been the football games here at UCF! The student section is exciting and makes the games so much fun. I feel like a real part of the community and the school when I’m amongst my peers cheering for our football team!

 

Most of my homework is online, so I’ve picked up different hobbies like sewing and building wooden crafts to allow me time working with my hands. It’s become a great way for me to destress and get off of screens for a while. 

I’ve joined a few clubs regarding engineering, including the robotics lab that works on a ton of coding, designing and building-based projects.

 I haven’t worked on many projects yet, but the AI-based wall climber robot is the coolest one in my opinion.

 

I’ve gotten to reconnect with some of my highschool friends, as well as broadening my horizons by meeting other engineering students with awesome hobbies. They have inspired me to look into restoring vintage cars and all the personal work that goes into bringing a piece of history back to life.

 

Sincerely,

 

Olivia Reeves 

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Nicki Russo 

 

My favorite class this semester has become my Probability and Statistics class. I think I’ve missed having just a basic math class without the factor of materials and their properties and so on. It is like one big puzzle of a class, and that is where I thrive. Plus there’s always great energy in the room and the time flies with the great people I have met in that class.

 

It is pretty difficult to find time for hobbies and extracurricular activities, but I have found a rekindled love for cooking. It betters my health, helps me save money, and I simply enjoy it. I think that it gives me another creative outlet. 

 

I am still a part of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers as Vice President, however I will be moving up to be President of ASME and possibly SWE next semester. 

 

I currently have three projects going on for class, each of which are different. One class has me focusing on MatLab coding, one is studying the tension in different objects, and the third is to design and research a mechanism that deals with heat transfer. 

 

At FAU, there is such a diverse population that I feel like I am always meeting interesting people. Even at my workplace! I have been very blessed to be able to hear about so many stories from different backgrounds and upbringings, but also many different paths that people have taken with their engineering degree.

 

I attended the conference for the Society of Women Engineers. It took place in Houston and I had the opportunity to meet several different companies and gain great opportunities. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Nicki Russo 

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Ian Hempfield
 

My favorite experience was going to the engineering club fair. I was able to meet with several engineering clubs and learn what they had to offer. My favorite class so far has been department and professional orientation. I was able to learn about various engineering fields and studies from working professionals that presented every Tuesday of class.

 

While I have not picked up any new hobbies, I’m still playing guitar and practicing karate when I can.

 

I haven’t joined any clubs as of now, but I’m planning on starting for my Sophomore year when I have more time.

 

My final project for my computer design class is designing a pullback toy car with my group in SolidWorks. So far we have the body made.

 

During my time in the StepUp program, I was able to make many friends that I see from time to time between classes.

 

Sincerely,

Ian Hempfield 

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Lucas Nardin 

 

My favorite experience has definitely been getting involved in organizations and meeting like minded people. I’ve been exploring different engineering design teams and am starting to feel more like an engineer! I’ve also been mentored by a second year mechanical engineering major and a nuclear engineering professor, both of whom I’ve learned very much from. 

 

My favorite class has been Computer Aided Graphics and Design where I’ve been learning to model parts and assemblies through a software called Solidworks. I’m excited to be learning a valuable technical skill that most engineers use in the industry.

 

My favorite book has been “Why Teach?” by Mark Edmundson which I read during an Honors course titled “Why Learn?” We discussed why we chose to pursue higher education and what the purpose of the university should be.

 

In the fall, I joined the UF Rock Climbing Club and have been climbing ever since. The UF Spikeball team was also very welcoming, and my partner and I competed in a Florida Roundnet tournament where we placed 4th. Last week, my intramural beach volleyball team played our first match of the season!

 

Currently, I’m most involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and Generational Relief in Prosthetics (GRiP). SHPE connected me to one of my mentors and has helped me take important steps forward professionally. As a new member of GRiP’s Exoglove design team, I’ve been becoming more familiar with Solidworks and modeling the 3D printed parts of the assistive device. I’ve also been involved with Real World Engineering, SHPE’s Design Dream Team, GATR VEX Robotics, and InnoGators.

 

 Last semester, for an engineering design course, my team and I designed, modeled, coded, 3D printed, and assembled a therapeutic toy for children with impaired motor skills. It was a huge learning experience and I’m grateful to my professor and my teammates for the opportunity. Currently, the design teams I’m a part of are working on a prosthetic exoglove, a solar drone, an AI controlled chess arm, a disc-launching robot, and a modified Arduino-based RC car, respectively.

 

Transitioning from my small high school to the University of Florida was surprising because everyone I’ve met here has been not just interesting, but intelligent, hardworking, motivated, and passionate about their goals. I’m lucky to have formed friendships with the smartest people I know, who I respect and admire more than anyone else. 

 

Thank you again for the amazing opportunity you’ve given me, and for helping me to make the most of my university education!

 

All the best,

Lucas Nardin

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Luke Jordan 

 
My favorite experience/class has been intro to computer science! I thought I would hate programming but it's super logical and can be relaxing to sit down and program. As far as hobbies I have kept with my two favorite hobbies of CrossFit and coffee.

 

I’m doing CrossFit about 5 days a week and still competing, in fact I have a worldwide online competition starting this Thursday. Also, I have joined intramural pickleball, it’s really fun and very easy to learn so I’m teaming up with a friend.

 

I joined the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, but to be honest I still have yet to go to any meetings or workshops. This semester new engineering students have to make an autonomous boat or submarine to transport an orange around our reflection pond. Me and my team are in the designing process but will start on the hull very soon. Also, my personal project has been to learn AutoCad, which has proven to be very complicated but I am chipping away at it.

 

I have definitely met a lot of interesting people and made some friends, study groups have really helped some hard classes like Calculus. Overall this has been a busy time but I think I’ve found the balance and I’m enjoying it!

 

 

Sincerely,

Luke Jordan