Today@Sam Article

Foundation Awards $28k In Scholarships To SHSU Students

Sept. 10, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt

PMI winners with Zelbst and Muehsam
The Project Management Institute Houston Education Foundation recently awarded 14 SHSU undergraduate and graduate project management students with $2,000 scholarships. Among the recipients were Maria Lopez and Debbie Nichols, who are pictured above (from left) with Pamela Zelbst, SHSU associate professor of management, and Mitchell Muehsam, dean of the College of Business Administration. —Photo by Brian Blalock

Article written by Kim Montes, marketing director for PMI Houston.

Sam Houston State University undergraduate and graduate business students are the beneficiaries of approximately $28,000 in scholarships recently awarded by the Project Management Institute Houston Education Foundation. 

The organization announced that 14 students in fields emphasizing the importance of project management each would receive a $2,000 award. They include Amanda Jezierski, Austin Somers, Cameron Dennington, Christian Darthard, Crystal Currie, David VanHorn, Debbie Nichols, Hermella Dejene, Kady Woods, Kayanne Warzon, Maria Lopez, Martez Jones, Nataliya Povarenkina, and Subash Maharjan. 

“For the year 2015, a total of 32 scholarships have or will be awarded to Sam Houston State University students in the College of Business Administration,” said SHSU associate professor of management Pamela Zelbst.  “We thank PMI Houston for their generous support of our students.”

VanHorn, a graduate student, said that in addition to working full time as a project manager, he is a full-time student and will soon earn a Master of Science degree in project management. 

“The scholarship is not just a financial benefit; it is a great opportunity that really means something to me,” he said.

After a few more years of work experience, VanHorn plans to return to school for a Ph.D. in operations management and hopes to use his project management skills to give back to the community.

Jezierski, who plans to graduate with her MBA in December, said she most enjoys that project management allows her to turn needs into qualitative and quantifiable results. 

“I am very grateful to use the scholarship from the PMI Houston Education Foundation to help pay for my last semester's tuition at SHSU,” she said. “I look forward to learning more about project management as a discipline and hope to use the skills towards a project management career in the future.” 

This year’s scholarships will be awarded through the recently established PMI Houston Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

Last year, the organization awarded $40,000 to Houston-area students to celebrate the chapter’s 40 years of service to the community.  In 2015, the PMI Houston Educational Foundation continued the program and awarded another $40,000 in scholarships to further the education of the next generation of project managers.

PMI is the leading global association for the project management profession.  Founded in 1974 as the first chapter granted a PMI charter, PMI Houston has more than 4,000 members who are involved in sectors where project management plays a crucial role including engineering and construction, industrial, information systems, oil and gas, healthcare, education, telecommunications, government, marketing and advertising, and service/support.

For more information about PMI’s scholarship program, contact academic.outreach@pmihef.org, and for more information about PMI Houston and the PMI Houston Education Foundation, visit pmihouston.org or pmihef.org. 

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