Enbridge’s Women in Engineering scholarship program promotes industry awareness
Sarah Litsheim grew up in the city known for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing—a.k.a. the Indianapolis 500.
And her interest in an engineering career got rolling pretty early in life.
“When I was 10, I went to a three-day engineering summer camp on the IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) campus,” says Litsheim, 20. “I still remember one contest where we had to design a car out of balsa wood, cardboard, paper, things like that.
“The cars were placed on a track, with eggs placed inside, and the egg that survived was the winner. I went home with the T-shirt that day.”
Litsheim recently wrapped up her second year of studies at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, IN, where she’s pursuing a degree in civil engineering with a mathematics minor.
A 2016 recipient of the Enbridge Women in Engineering Scholarship as part of the POWER (Political Organization for Women’s Education and Representation) bursary program in the Indiana General Assembly, Litsheim is eager to put the ‘I’ into infrastructure.
“In terms of careers,” she says, “I’m interested in transportation, because our American road infrastructure could really use a boost, as well as structural design and environmental impact issues.”
Enbridge is committed to improving quality of life in the communities near our projects and operations, and one of the ways we do that is through post-secondary scholarships.
In addition to our contribution to the POWER initiative in Indiana, we’ve also sponsored similar scholarships with:
- Purdue University Northwest;
- Illinois Institute of Technology; and
- Numerous two-year colleges along the Enbridge system in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
These scholarships, known as Enbridge Energy Company Pipeline Industry Awareness Scholarships, are open to engineering students, as well as students in vocational and technical programs such as welding, mechanical technology or electrical technology—and help promote the energy industry as an excellent career path for young students.
“Engineering appeals to me because you get to design and create something,” says Litsheim. “It’s a really intense process, but I love it, because it’s about seeing your work come to fruition."
(TOP PHOTO: Sarah Litsheim (front row, second from left) and fellow engineering students at Purdue University Northwest, during a recent event which saw Enbridge senior engineer Trina Salvisberg discuss the profession.)
