Garver Contributes to Engineering Scholarships

Garver joined the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineers to support young engineers and help alleviate financial burdens through engineering scholarships.

Garver sponsored eight $1,000 scholarships for civil engineering students at the University of Arkansas. The Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineers sponsors the scholarship, which is funded through academy member donations. Several Garver employees are academy members and they individually contributed to the scholarship, which Garver financially matched.

Engineering student Abiy Ghirmay with Executive Vice President Brock Hoskins, PE.

UofA Department Head of Civil Engineering Dr. Kevin Hall said scholarship recipients are selected by financial need and academic performance. When awarding the scholarships provided through Garver contributions, Dr. Hall said selected students "reflect the commitment to excellence demonstrated by the company and its engineers.”

The scholarship helps offsets the tuition that students pay out-of-pocket. This helps them focus more on studies and gives them more freedom to pursue career opportunities.

For Stephanie Maxwell, a civil engineering student, the scholarship has been essential. “I really appreciate it because if I hadn't gotten this scholarship, I would've had to continue working, and the job I had wasn't related to civil engineering—it was just dividing my time between school and work. I really want to be able to focus on schoolwork right now, to get the education and the internships, and to be able to focus on future jobs.”

Abiy Ghirmay, a foreign exchange student from Ethiopia, agrees. “I‘m thankful for the scholarship. It helped a lot. It allowed me to focus on my studies and not work a lot of hours.”

Along with sponsoring scholarships, Garver has hosted open houses at various offices and helped engineering students on their senior projects—all ways that Garver is educating and encouraging the next generation of engineers.