Future ChemE Leaders Speak to Foundation Trustees

Two future chemical engineering leaders shared their personal journeys with the AIChE Foundation Board of Trustees at their spring business meeting. Carlos Prieto-Perez, 2019 and 2020 MAC Scholar, Student Chapter Treasurer and senior at Virginia Tech University and Elizabeth Haughton, senior engineer, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, talked about how they have the opportunities they do today because of the generosity of the Foundation donors and thanked the Trustees for investing in the next generation by committing to cultivating an equitable, diverse and inclusive profession. 

Selection as a MAC Scholar in 2019 and 2020 confirmed Carlos’ belief in himself and gave him the flexibility to pursue a co-op at Eastman Chemical Company. . “Thanks to the scholarship, I was able to gain hands-on experience in the chemical industry and applied chemical engineering fundamentals I learned in the classroom.” These opportunities helped Carlos to chart his career path after graduation, which led to him accept a role at Merck following his graduation this May.

Elizabeth, is a long-time volunteer, holding positions on CTOC, SIOC, WIC, and the YPC.  She’s become more involved in the LGBTQ+ & Allies community including being a panel speaker at the YP LGBTQ+ and Allies Inclusion in Engineering Session at the 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting where she shared her story as a transgender chemical engineer. Elizabeth detailed how the Foundation’s work is impacting the environment for LGBTQ+ and Allied Chemical Engineers’ throughout the profession.

The AIChE Foundation is grateful to its community of 6,000+ dedicated donors for igniting young minds, awarding scholarships to underrepresented students and ensuring that all who wish to be a part of the chemical engineering community should have equal opportunity to pursue and achieve success. Together, we are advancing, evolving and transforming the profession to do more good.

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