Brenda A. Stout ’93 and Craig Stout have established the Brenda A. ’93 and Craig Stout Chemical Engineering Endowed Scholarship to support full-time students who are pursuing a degree in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. The Stouts' gift will also receive matching funds from Shell as part of their Helping Employees Reach Out (HERO) program.
Since graduating from the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M, Brenda’s career has taken her and her family across the U.S. and around the world, most recently living in Singapore. Growing up, traveling was a luxury her family could not afford, and without a job and scholarships, so would have been an engineering degree from Texas A&M.
“I came from a poor family and I had a lot of help from people to get through college,” said Brenda. "I’ve always thought at some point I really want to do that for someone else.”
In addition to paying it forward, she hopes this scholarship will give others the opportunities that a career in engineering has given her.
“It’s gratifying as an engineer to be solving the world’s problems, and I look out there and see students in school and society and I think, ‘wow, if they could just get a foot in the door like I did to get an engineering education…it opens up the world for you.’”
For Brenda, the value in being an engineer is being a part of mapping the future and creating important advancements that positively impact the world. Outside of her career, endowing a scholarship is another way for Stout to invest in the future.
“I see all the cool things that students are learning today, even how to efficiently do their jobs which is different than we have ever done in my generation, and it’s so exciting,” Brenda said. “There are so many opportunities out there, and what I see are engineers coming out of school and taking where we are and turning it into the future. And it’s an exciting time to be a part of that.”
Receiving an engineering degree from Texas A&M and pursuing a long-running career in industry has made a dramatic impact on her life and her family’s future. For her, opportunities are about people believing in you and taking a chance on you.
“I hope they get the opportunity like I did to change their life and the life of their family,” said Brenda. “It’s the beginning of something I couldn’t even have imagined at that age.”
How to Give
The College of Engineering is one of the leading engineering programs in the United States, ranking first in undergraduate enrollment and ninth in graduate enrollment. Fellowships encourage collaboration between the faculty, students and industry mentors while allowing graduate students to further their education and thus having a greater impact on the industry. If you are interested in supporting the College of Engineering or would like more information on how you can give, please contact Haley Jennings, director of development.