\u201cI've wanted to go to college ever since I was younger,\u201d Aaron Parkinson says. \u201cI've always been told I have an engineering mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even with Aaron\u2019s exceptional math and science skills, getting a college degree was a relatively bold dream for someone from his background. If he succeeded, he would be the first member of his family in four generations to complete college. \u201cI've always been in a poorer household,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd there was a portion of time where my dad was incarcerated and my mom was basically a single mother for her three kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these challenges, Aaron was inspired to pursue his goals by teachers and classmates in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) program at Brookings Harbor High School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI joined the robotics club because I wanted to see what it was all about,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI helped build the robot we used for the national robotics competition, and we actually won the Oregon regionals. Later, I was voted in as the team captain, so for pretty much the entirety of high school, I was part of the robotics team. That's when I gained my love for engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With help from the Jim Seeley award, Aaron is now pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace. \u201cI was originally planning to attend OIT and take out student loans,\u201d Aaron says. \u201cBut because I got this full scholarship, I ended up accepting an offer from Oregon State, which is where I am now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through OSU\u2019s MECOP Program, Aaron was selected to receive a prestigious six-month internship at Boeing\u2019s massive facility in Everett, Washington: \u201cIt was fascinating to see the internal structure of Boeing planes and the inner workings of that manufacturing environment. I just kind of knew that's what I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boeing\u2019s final appraisal concluded that Aaron\u2019s internship had exceeded the company\u2019s expectations. \u201cThat\u2019s the highest rating you can get,\u201d Aaron notes. \u201cIt worked out really well, so now I'm going back for a second internship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As excited as Aaron is to work with Boeing, he\u2019s also eager to help gifted but isolated rural students whose prospects are jeopardized by generational poverty and low expectations. \u201cIt's so important for youth in these communities to have aspirations and to know what they want to do with their lives,\u201d he emphasizes. \u201cOne of the bigger things I want to accomplish personally is to strengthen the connection between Boeing and FRC. The key to getting great engineers is to reach people while they\u2019re still figuring out what they want to do\u2014especially in high school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf hadn\u2019t gotten the Seeley scholarship, I would\u2019ve had to work all throughout college,\u201d Aaron concludes. \u201cI wouldn't have had time to do an internship. But now, I\u2019ll have a year of engineering experience plus all the connections I was able to make. That\u2019s so much more important than a piece of paper that just says, \u2018I went to college.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI've wanted to go to college ever since I was younger,\u201d Aaron Parkinson says. \u201cI've always been told I have an engineering mindset.\u201d Even with Aaron\u2019s exceptional math and science skills, getting a college degree was a relatively bold dream for someone from his background. If he succeeded, he would be the first member of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":22224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"blog_types":[386],"class_list":["post-22226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bandon-dunes","blog_types-scholarship-recipient"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n