Civil student receives regional scholarship
May 12, 2015
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Unlike most people, Alex Bohannon grew into his career interests at a young age through an unlikely route: Legos.
The Jackson, Mississippi native said he would construct small buildings, roads and other structures with the small, colorful building blocks.
“My mom would buy me Legos and just watch me go at it,” Bohannon said. “I always saw myself getting into the construction industry, and later I realized civil engineering would be perfect for that.”
Now a senior in civil engineering, Bohannon’s interest in construction is being rewarded with the Bruce Tucker Memorial Scholarship funded by the Mississippi Valley Branch of Associated General Contractors. This is his second time to receive the regional scholarship that is awarded to students interested in construction industry careers.
Dennis Truax, head of civil and environmental engineering department, said this scholarship holds a certain level of prestige considering the number of applicants versus the number of awards.
“This is only the second year that we’ve had a student get the award,” Truax said. “It is a competitive award, and students throughout the region from many universities compete for it each year.”
Truax said having a Mississippi State student receive this award for two consecutive years displays a strong program that produces individuals who are prepared to support the construction industry.
“It shines a light on the university, the Bagley College and the department to show that we are producing strong students with a focus on construction,” Truax said. “By seeing our students recognized in this fashion, it helps identify our students as potential employees in both the public and private sectors of the industry.”
Bohannon is a member of Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers. Through NSBE, Bohannon mentors and tutors incoming freshmen in physics, calculus and engineering mechanics, among other subjects.
He said he hopes to attend graduate school and that receiving this scholarship is a small step to getting him there.
“I’m just thankful that I received it, because any money is a blessing,” Bohannon said. “It will at least help me be able to pay my tuition and obviously push myself to obtain my bachelor’s degree.”
For more information about the Bagley College of Engineering, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu.
To learn more about the Mississippi Valley Branch of Associated General Contractors, visit www.mvagc.org.
By Jen Nguyen