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NDSU's Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute Establishes Tribal Transportation ScholarshipPosted: Oct 17, 2018 The Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) at North Dakota State University recently awarded its first Tribal Transportation Scholarship to Josiah Herrera of Colorado Springs, CO. The scholarship recognizes outstanding Native American students with an interest in transportation engineering, economics or agriculture. All scholarships awarded by UGPTI were presented at 23rd Annual Awards Banquet Oct. 4 in Fargo, ND. Herrera will receive $1,000 per year for two years. Funding for the scholarship is provided by the Mountain-Plains Consortium through the University Transportation Centers Program of the U.S. Department of Transportation. "In our work with Native American tribes across our region to address their transportation needs and challenges, we realized that one of their most significant needs is for talented, creative individuals to plan, build and maintain their transportation systems," noted Denver Tolliver, director of the UGPTI and the Mountain-Plains Consortium, a consortium of eight universities across the Upper Great Plains and Intermountain West. "It is our hope that this scholarship will attract young tribal members into the transportation industry." Herrera is a freshman majoring in industrial engineering and management. During high school Herrera was the hockey team captain and played football. He has also worked as a heavy equipment operator for JDS Construction in Colorado Springs for the past three years. His parents are Eliezer and Monica Rivera of Colorado Springs. The UGPTI also awarded five other scholarships at the banquet. Shelby Hartwig and Marc Michaelson received Paul E.R. Abrahamson Transportation Scholarships. The Paul E.R. Abrahamson Transportation Scholarship recognizes outstanding students with an interest in the transportation and logistics of agricultural products. Funding for two $1,500 scholarships is provided by the Mountain-Plains Consortium through the University Transportation Centers program of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Hartwig is from Albany, MN, and is a senior in agricultural economics. She serves as treasurer and ag education co-chair of the NDSU chapter of the Sigma Alpha professional agriculture sorority. She also serves as treasurer of the NDSU Agriculture Collective. Hartwig is also a member of Phi Eta Sigma national honor society, the NDSU Agribusiness Club, and Saddle and Sirloin. She has been named to the dean's list all five semesters of college. Her interest in agricultural transportation stems from her family's livestock hauling business - a business that has been in her family for 50 years. Her goal upon graduation is to pursue a career in agricultural sales, marketing, or finance and to assure that her family's business is successful for at least another 50 years. She is the daughter of Michael and Lynda Hartwig of Albany. Michaelson is from Dickinson and is a junior majoring in theatre arts and creative writing. He has also taken coursework in world food crops, agricultural communication and agricultural marketing. He is vice chair of the Newfangled Theatre Company at NDSU, is a mentor in the NDSU Theatre Mentorship Program, is a member of the NDSU Chi Alpha campus ministries. He has been named to the NDSU Dean's list three times. His interest in agricultural transportation was sparked by an internship with the NDSU Extension Service last summer and he is considering pursuing a graduate degree in agricultural communication. His parents are David and Shallimar Michaelson of Dickinson. Sarah Irmen received the Charles E. Herman Scholarship which recognizes academic achievement and promotes the education of transportation students with a preference to women and minorities at NDSU. Irmen is from Fargo and is a senior in civil engineering. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and served as chair of the TechGirls program where she organized, planned and taught two 10-week programs on engineering for local elementary students. She is currently vice president of Outreach and is planning, organizing and promoting STEM events for K-12 students. She plans to pursue a career in traffic engineering with goals of increasing safety, implement intelligent transportation systems and decreasing congestion. Her parents are Mitch and Heidi Irmen of Fargo. Jenna Lee and Alicia Lorig will receive the Transportation Engineering Scholarship which recognizes academic achievement and promotes the education of transportation students at NDSU. Funding for two $1,500 scholarships is provided by the Mountain-Plains Consortium through the University Transportation Centers program of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Lee is a senior in civil engineering from Bemidji, MN. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, the Trapshooting Club, Phi Eta Sigma national honor society, Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Golden Key International Honour Society and Chi Alpha campus ministries. She hopes to pursue a career in bridge design which combines here interests in structural engineering and transportation. Her parents are Bryan and Dana Lee of Bemidji. Lorig is a senior in civil engineering from Jamestown. She was named to the dean's list at NDSU and graduated cum laude from Northern State University with a B.S. in mathematics. At NDSU she is active in the Institute of Transportation Engineers and participated in that organization's 2018 Traffic Bowl competition for college students. She is also a student design assistant in UGPTI's Department of Transportation Support Center. Her work there inspired her interest in transportation engineering. She plans to pursue a career in transportation with a state department of transportation or an engineering consulting firm. Her parents are Jon and Jane Lorig of Jamestown. |
