EL PASO, Texas ( KTSM ) — Two UTEP undergraduate students were named the recipients of the Hawkins Scholarship, which the University of Texas at El Paso bills as its highest award for scholarship and leadership.
The recipients are Brianna Emily Ortega and Eduardo Gutierrez, UTEP said.
“The competition for the Hawkins Scholarship was impressive this year,” UTEP President Heather Wilson said. “Eduardo and Brianna are impressive student leaders who will make a difference.”
Each Hawkins Scholarship, bestowed annually to two UTEP juniors, comes with a $10,000 award that may be used to pay for educational expenses or experiences that enhance the scholar’s undergraduate education in preparation for graduate school, UTEP said.
These expenses can include tuition, fees, room and board, books and special educational experiences, including undergraduate research and study abroad.
The Hawkins Scholarship was established by Wilson and is named for 1st Lt. William Dean Hawkins, who studied engineering at UTEP, then known as the Texas College of Mines. Hawkins enlisted in the Marine Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was eventually commissioned as an officer before being killed in action while serving during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts above and beyond the call of duty.