Carolyn Salas at the Scholarship Banquet
On Oct. 28, Oregon Tech proudly announced the recipients of the inaugural Cypress Creek Renewables Distinguished Fellowships. Cydney Fukushima and Lillian Cano were honored with this prestigious scholarship at the Oregon Tech Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet held on the Klamath Falls campus.
Announced this fall, Cypress Creek Renewables and Oregon Tech formed a partnership with the goal of advancing STEM education and bolstering Oregon's renewable energy workforce. Cypress Creek Renewables committed $120,000 over the next four years to support Oregon Tech students through scholarships and sponsorships as part of this collaboration. The partnership represents a commitment to fostering the next generation of innovators and professionals in the STEM field.
The cornerstone of this partnership is the Cypress Creek Renewables Distinguished Fellowship, which is designed to assist two students from underserved populations pursuing engineering or STEM programs that lead to careers in renewable energy. These fellowships can be renewed for up to three years.
The two recipients of the Cypress Creek Renewables Distinguished Fellowships are as follows:
Cydney “Cyd” Fukushima, Class of 2027, majoring in Civil Engineering at Oregon Tech. Hailing from the beautiful island of Oahu in Hawai'i, Fukushima chose Oregon Tech for its technical and professional programs, particularly in engineering. With a passion for building and hands-on work, Fukushima looks forward to expanding his knowledge and expertise. He said, "The Cypress Creek Renewables Distinguished Fellowship scholarship from Oregon Tech means the world to me. It not only lessens the financial strain of pursuing a top-notch education, but it also opens doors to possibilities and gives me access to recognition."
Lillian Cano, Class of 2027, majoring in Electrical Engineering at Oregon Tech. Originally from Tucson, Ariz., Cano is fascinated by the mysteries of the universe and aims to apply her knowledge of electromagnetic force. She chose Oregon Tech for its reputation and the opportunities it offers. Lillian shared her heartfelt appreciation, stating, "This scholarship is such a great relief to my parents and me. ¡Gracias! Thank you! Gratias tibi! Gratzie! Merci! Since I can't say ‘thank you’ enough, I've said it in every language I know ‘thank you’ in."
The Oregon Tech Foundation Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet is held each year to honor the achievements of scholarship recipients and recognize the philanthropic donors who make scholarships possible. With the support of generous benefactors, the Foundation is proud to offer over $1 million in scholarship awards for the second year in a row.
For more information about Cypress Creek Renewables and Oregon Tech's collaborative efforts in supporting STEM education, please visit Oregon Tech News.
About Cypress Creek Renewables: Cypress Creek Renewables is a leading renewables developer and independent power producer. It develops, finances, owns, and operates utility-scale and distributed solar and energy storage projects across the United States with a mission to power a sustainable future, one project at a time. Since inception, Cypress Creek has developed 12GW of solar projects. Today it owns more than 2GW of solar and has a 25GW solar and storage pipeline. Cypress Creek's leading O&M services business, Cypress Creek Solutions, operates and maintains over 4.5GW of solar projects under contract and has a presence in 23 states. For more information about Cypress Creek, please visit ccrenew.com.
About the Oregon Tech Foundation
The Oregon Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and funds the educational, cultural, charitable, and service functions of the Oregon Institute of Technology.
