SOCORRO, N.M. – Petroleum engineering sophomore Elizabeth Wells recently found out that she has won a national scholarship from the Society for Women Engineers.

A native of Beaverton, Oregon, Wells won the Pioneer Scholarship, courtesy of the Central New Mexico Section of SWE. The award is $2,000 for the 2020-2021 school year. Wells – no relation to President Stephen Wells or V.P. Doug Wells – said she was surprised to find out she won the award.

“I was pretty happy to find out,” she said. “Any little bit of money to ease the financial burden is a plus.”

Wells first got interested in petroleum engineering as a freshman in high school, when a teacher assigned an essay about engineering fields. As she started to research universities, she found herself drawn to New Mexico Tech based on national rankings for quality and value.

“I pretty much just Googled the top petroleum engineering colleges and New Mexico Tech was at the top of or near the top of every list,” she said.

Wells won the award based on an essay and a letter of recommendation from a former teacher.

SWE awarded $1,027,850 in scholarships this year, marking it as their highest dollar amount ever. SWE has been providing scholarship opportunities for women in engineering and technology for about 70 years.

SWE scholarships support those who identify themselves as a female/woman and are pursuing an ABET-accredited bachelor or graduate degree program in preparation for careers in engineering, engineering technology and computer science. With the continuation of the coronavirus pandemic and financial crisis that follows, SWE is proud to disperse over 300 new and renewed scholarships to students to help continue their education.

“Our scholarship program is one of the reasons we are able to remain a solid resource to our future women engineers,” said Karen Horting, CEO and executive director of SWE. “Even during a global pandemic, we are proud to be able to provide financial resources to those who are studying for a career in engineering and technology.”

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