Laila Hassen_newLaila Hassen, a 2013 Pedrozzi Scholar, is a graduate of the University of California, Davis and an engineer with PG&E. Laila describes the projects she was involved with during her years at UC Davis and what a Pedrozzi scholarship meant on her academic journey:

 

I recently just graduated from UC Davis, double majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The project to culminate my experience focused in profitably reducing greenhouse gas emissions at Yolo County Landfill using renewable technologies.

 

I also finished my term as the Presidential Advisor for the Society of Women Engineers chapter at UC Davis, as well as completing my term as the Regional Collegiate Communications Editor for SWE in Northern CA, Reno, and Hawaii. My roles were primarily to train incoming officers, provide mentorship to UCD students, and develop their professional skills post-college. I plan to stay involved with the professional section for SWE after college, and further work in encouraging more young women to pursue STEM. 

 

In August, I’ll be working full-time with Pacific Gas and Electric Company, as an engineer in gas operations. I’ll be doing a rotational program where I change teams every six months to explore the company. My focus in engineering is on project management, transportation, and the environment. 

 

laila hassen

I want to sincerely show my appreciation to the Pedrozzi Foundation; the scholarship enhanced my college experience to alleviate financial burdens throughout these past years. Every possible amount of support adds up and it helps; although I didn’t graduate debt-free, it is so much less than the national average, and is manageable considering my career path. It really means a lot to me, and I am forever grateful to the Pedrozzi Foundation. 

 

Thank you all for making a college degree attainable. As a first-generation American and college student, I didn’t have the precedent of how to approach college set before me. Now, I hope that my future generations will have a better opportunity.

 

-July 2018