CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — The path to earning a STEM-based degree just became a little easier for two Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) engineering students thanks to technology company Broadcom. Juan Antonio Mosquera Krik and Daniela Fernandez both received awards from the company, which has deep ties and a location within the Lehigh Valley.
Doug Dopp, Broadcom’s director of manufacturing, optical systems division, said the scholarships reflect Broadcom’s commitment to educating the next generation of STEM professionals.
“Through scholarships, we hope to support the academic efforts of rising STEM talent and create a more diverse and inclusive workforce in the semiconductor and software industries,” he said. “The recipients of this year’s scholarships are both first- generation college students who, in addition to the funds, will be offered the opportunity to receive ongoing mentorship as they pursue their degrees at Penn State.”
On a recent visit to the campus, Dopp met with both students and took the opportunity to learn more about their professional goals.
“I was quite impressed; both were enthusiastic and stand-out STEM students from our region,” he said.
Mosquera Krik, a second-year chemical engineering major, told Dopp that he chose the field because it blended two of his favorite things: building structures, and chemistry. He learned about the Broadcom scholarship from Marta DaSilva, PSU-LV’s director of advising and career services, who asked if she could send his information to the company.
“I was excited to find I met the qualifications and received the scholarship," said Krik.
As a first-generation college student, Mosquera Krik said the $4,000 award will go a long way toward easing his family’s financial responsibility for tuition. “It’s a good help,” he said. “Penn State Lehigh Valley is less expensive than many colleges, but it’s still a big investment.”
Fernandez said she didn’t have a STEM-related career on her radar, and certainly not a field like biomedical engineering. Instead, she learned about the engineering industry through Project Lead the Way, which was offered at her Allentown high school.
“I was part of the biomedical sciences program and took a course called 'Biomedical Innovations,'" Fernandez said. "Through this course I discovered a passion for combining disciplines — math, physics, biology, chemistry. That’s what drew me to pick a major in biomedical engineering.”
Fernandez also heard about the scholarship from Marta DaSilva, and like her fellow recipient, said it will lighten the financial load for herself and her family.
“This scholarship is so significant,” she said. “It gives me more time to focus on school, and to spend with my family.”
Professionally, she said, she's interested in interventional radiology and hopes to apply her skills to the medical device field.
“I want to bring more advanced radiological devices to the medical field, whether in the Lehigh Valley or somewhere else in the world. I’m willing to travel,” she said.
Dopp said, “We are proud to provide STEM educational opportunities for the next generation of engineers, computer scientists, and innovators of tomorrow. These scholarships are one of the many ways Broadcom is working to ensure that we have a qualified workforce in our industry for years to come.”
Donors like Broadcom advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients, and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.