Civil Engineering Students Win Prestigious Engineering Scholarships

Kayla de Hoop and Karah McCulley, Oregon Institute of Technology “Oregon Tech” civil engineering students, have been awarded scholarships from the Asphalt Pavement Association of Oregon (APAO) Educational Foundation, a nonprofit trade organization representing the interests of the asphalt paving industry.

The scholarships valued at $3,000 each, are presented to four to six Oregon students to promote the advancement of asphalt pavement technology by providing financial assistance to students pursuing degrees in construction engineering or other related fields. The scholarships were awarded Dec. 6 in Portland at a gala event that also celebrated the 50th anniversary of APAO. Oregon Tech maintains a decade’s long relationship with APAO and the Oregon pavements industry. APAO was also instrumental in establishing the Oregon Tech Pavement Engineering Lab in Cornett Hall at the Klamath Falls campus.

President Naganathan congratulated the women and commended Civil Engineering faculty on the continued recognition of civil students, which recently include NITC Student Spotlight: Damian Matzen and the second place finish in the Institute of Transportation Engineers Traffic Bowl. The women attended the APAO event with Civil Engineering department chair and ITE student chapter adviser, Dr. Roger Lindgren.

Klamath Falls native Kayla de Hoop, who is completing her bachelor’s degree and will begin her master’s degree in Civil Engineering in June 2020, has held several transportation related internships, first with Jacobs Engineering, then Oregon Department of Transportation, and now Kiewit Infrastructure Engineers. She serves as team captain of the Oregon Tech traffic bowl team. 

Karah McCulley, a senior graduating in June 2020, hails from Bend where her first work experience was on a Deschutes County asphalt pavement maintenance team. Since 2018, Karah has interned for BECON Engineering and Land Surveying and she will start her professional career with BECON in June.

Karah and Kayla are officers in Oregon Tech's ITE student chapter and are supported by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC). Both women competed on Oregon Tech’s steel bridge team in April 2019, which proceeded to the national competition, later placing in the top half at the national construction competition.

The Asphalt Pavement Association of Oregon, Inc., (APAO) is a nonprofit trade organization representing the interests of the asphalt paving industry. APAO is affiliated with the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA).
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