AIChE is pleased to announce that this year’s John J. McKetta Scholarship went to Alexa Lowman-Tucker from Brigham Young University.
The $5,000 scholarship is awarded annually to an incoming senior or junior chemical engineering student who is planning a career in the chemical process industries. In addition to demonstrated academic excellence, the recipient of the annual scholarship has a track record of strong leadership and active participation both in their AIChE Student Chapter and in other university activities around campus.
Alexa’s leadership within AIChE
Alexa hit the ground running and took on a role as her AIChE Student Chapter’s Class Representative in her freshman year. Since then, she’s served as the chapter’s Executive Treasurer, International K-12 STEM Outreach Coordinator, Vice President of Professional Advancement, and most recently was elected by her peers to serve as the Chapter President. Typically, the chapter’s presidential race is a competitive one, but Alexa ran unopposed because everyone wanted her to be their next president. In the words of her chapter advisor, she is that good.
Among her many accomplishments as a chapter leader, Alexa took it upon herself to create a safety culture among her classmate at BYU. She has led the effort to incentivize chapter members to take SAChE courses, incorporate safety minutes into all chapter events, and she is currently planning BYU’s first ever Process Safety Conference – complete with guest speakers, workshops, case competitions, awards, and recognition of students and staff who go above and beyond in maintaining a safe environment.
More on this year’s winner
Outside of AIChE, Alexa is a member of the team launching the newly formed BYU Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership, where she will be representing the Engineering College in discussions on what it means to be a moral and ethical leader.
Alexa has already held several chemical engineering internships, including at Chevron and Cummins Inc., and she will be returning to Cummins in January as an Engine System Simulation Co-op.
Alexa’s commitment to her chapter and to her own professional development are mirrored in the classroom, as demonstrated by her impressive 3.92 GPA, and outside the classroom, where she also happens to be an award-winning singer and dancer.
You can see more photos from the 2021 Student Awards Ceremony and the Freshman/Sophomore Recognition below and on Flickr.