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UTEP Selects 2022 Hawkins Scholarship Recipients

UTEP is proud to celebrate the newest Hawkins Scholars: Frida D. Garcia Ledezma and Christian Samuel Ramirez. These students were chosen among 10 finalists selected for their outstanding intellect, character, service to others, leadership attributes and potential to address important challenges facing humanity. They will receive $10,000 each.

UTEP President Heather Wilson, left, Hawkins Scholars Christian Samuel Ramirez and Frida D. Garcia Ledezma, along with Richard Hyde, Hawkins Scholarship committee chair and His Majesty’s Consul General of the United Kingdom in Houston, pose for a photo the evening of Nov. 29, 2022, when the recipients of the annual Hawkins Scholarship were named in Union Building East. Photo by Laura Trejo / UTEP Marketing and Communications
UTEP President Heather Wilson, left, Hawkins Scholars Christian Samuel Ramirez and Frida D. Garcia Ledezma, along with Richard Hyde, Hawkins Scholarship committee chair and His Majesty’s Consul General of the United Kingdom in Houston, pose for a photo the evening of Nov. 29, 2022, when the recipients of the annual Hawkins Scholarship were named in Union Building East. Photo by Laura Trejo / UTEP Marketing and Communications

The Hawkins Scholarship is awarded yearly to UTEP juniors and may be used to pay for educational expenses or experiences that enhance the scholar’s undergraduate education in preparation for graduate school. These expenses can include tuition, fees, room and board, books, and special educational experiences including undergraduate research and study abroad or study away programs.

The Hawkins Scholarship application and selection process is modeled after other competitive and high-profile fellowship and scholarship programs, such as the Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell and Gates Cambridge scholarships.

Learn more about these outstanding students:

Frida D. Garcia Ledezma is a junior geological sciences major. The Juárez native has used the skills and knowledge she gained at UTEP while conducting research with NASA scientists at the Lunar Planetary Institute. She has also used her research skills to help better the community, studying air quality in the area surrounding the Chamizal National Memorial and how it impacts residents.

She said that the Hawkins Scholarship has given access to opportunities she previously thought weren't accessible.

“Now I can travel abroad, do more community service and learn what the world has to offer without being scared that I don't have money to pay for my college tuition," she said. “This award will help me move forward in life and accomplish all the goals I have set my mind to!”

Christian Samuel Ramirez is a junior cellular and molecular biochemistry major. He has been researching for over a year at the Border Biomedical Research Center with Pharmaceutical Sciences Chair Marc Cox, Ph.D. The El Paso native has previously earned the Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (U-RISE) scholarship at UTEP. He has also been an oboe player for nine years and is part of the UTEP Wind Symphony.

He said that earning the Hawkins Scholarship will enable him to consider international graduate programs that he previously considered unattainable.

“The Hawkins Scholarship committee has enlightened me to the importance of traveling to broaden my perspective both culturally and academically,” he said. “While cognizant of the financial investment required to pursue a graduate education, this scholarship will enable me to execute these plans uninhibited.”

About the Hawkins Scholarship

The Hawkins Scholarship is named for 1st Lt. William Deane Hawkins, who studied engineering at UTEP, then called the Texas College of Mines. He 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.

The scholarship selection committee included Richard Hyde, committee chair and His Majesty’s Consul General of the United Kingdom in Houston; Roberto Coronado, UTEP alumnus and Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Senior Vice President in Charge of El Paso and San Antonio Branches; Hilda Galvan, partner-in-charge at law firm Jones Day in Dallas; and Jay Hone, retired Air Force colonel and attorney.

“Choosing two winners from 10 spectacular finalists was a difficult task; all were worthy of winning," Hyde said. "Our two Hawkins winners this year are great examples of what makes UTEP great. They are impressive academics who are proud of UTEP and El Paso, and they are motivated to give back to their community. They will be great ambassadors for UTEP.”

Last Updated on December 08, 2022 at 12:00 AM | Originally published December 08, 2022

By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications