EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Two UTEP undergraduate students were named the recipients of the Hawkins Scholarship, which the University of Texas at El Paso bills as its highest award for scholarship and leadership.
The recipients are Brianna Emily Ortega and Eduardo Gutierrez, UTEP said.
“The competition for the Hawkins Scholarship was impressive this year,” UTEP President Heather Wilson said. “Eduardo and Brianna are impressive student leaders who will make a difference.”
Each Hawkins Scholarship, bestowed annually to two UTEP juniors, comes with a $10,000 award that may be used to pay for educational expenses or experiences that enhance the scholar’s undergraduate education in preparation for graduate school, UTEP said.
These expenses can include tuition, fees, room and board, books and special educational experiences, including undergraduate research and study abroad.
The Hawkins Scholarship was established by Wilson and is named for 1st Lt. William Dean Hawkins, who studied engineering at UTEP, then known as the Texas College of Mines. Hawkins enlisted in the Marine Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was eventually commissioned as an officer before being killed in action while serving during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts above and beyond the call of duty.
UTEP released the following information on the 2024 UTEP Hawkins Scholars:
Brianna Emily Ortega is an El Paso native and a junior at UTEP studying biological sciences with a concentration in biomedical science. A lifelong passion for science led her to pursue studies in biology, and she plans to earn a doctorate and become an oncology researcher specializing in breast cancer.
“Receiving the Hawkins scholarship has been an amazing opportunity to further develop myself as a professional and scholar,” Ortega said. “I look forward to representing UTEP in a positive light while I pursue my career in cancer research.”
Eduardo Gutierrez grew up in Ciudad Juárez and El Paso and is currently a junior at UTEP studying biological sciences with a minor in psychology and a concentration in biomedical science. His desire to become a physician was cemented by an experience doing research into congenital disorders with Anita Quintana, Ph.D., an associate professor of biological sciences. Gutierrez recently concluded an internship at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“Receiving the Hawkins Scholarship represents not only financial support but also contributes to my research and education,” Gutierrez said. “This scholarship will allow me to one day accomplish my goal of becoming a physician who can find the answers to complex neurological disorders that affect millions of families around the world.”
The Hawkins Scholarship application and selection process is modeled after competitive graduate scholarship programs like the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell and Gates Cambridge scholarships, UTEP said.
The scholarship selection committee included Kathrin Berg, UTEP alumna and director of donor relations at the El Paso Community Foundation; Marshall Carter-Tripp, a former U.S. Foreign Service member and political science professor, as well as former director of the Centennial Museum; Nicholas Muñiz, operations manager and equal opportunity officer at Workforce Solutions Borderplex; and Jay Hone, a retired Air Force colonel and attorney and President Wilson’s husband.
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