Nicholas Neveu felt like he was being welcomed into the community of structural engineers when he participated in a virtual awards night meeting to receive a 2021 SEAOSC Foundation Scholarship from the Structural Engineers Association of Southern California.
“I’m very grateful for the scholarship,” said Neveu, a junior studying civil engineering at Loyola Marymount University. “I enjoyed meeting the other recipients and seeing what they’re working on through this virtual event. I’m excited to become part of this community of budding structural engineers.”
The scholarship is awarded based on excellence in academics, leadership, extra-curricular activities and the desire to pursue a career in structural engineering.
Neveu expects to apply the $2,000 scholarship toward graduate school. He wants to earn a master’s degree in structural engineering to complement the bachelor’s in civil engineering he will receive next spring.
“I’ve always loved beautiful architecture,” he says. “I want to contribute to putting together beautiful buildings that work for the people who live and work in them and protect the surrounding environments.”
Talking with professionals who work in the field at the SEAOSC conferences last year and this year made him realize the value of earning a master’s degree in structural engineering to help pursue this passion.
At LMU, Neveu found everything he was looking for in an undergraduate education: a welcoming environment and close relationships with his professors. Its feeling of community reminds him of home in Brunswick, ME. Plus, the weather and surf made choosing LMU an easy choice.
Neveu is on the executive board of LMU’s surfing club, and tutors middle school students through the Ignatians Service Organization, an organization dedicated to the promotion of social justice. He is also involved in Engineering for Humanity, where Neveu has worked on engineering projects for a UCLA medical facility in Tijuana to improve physical access to the buildings and contributed to others projects, which he hopes will be revived as things begin to get back to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic.
A native of Maine, Neveu loves Southern California. He hopes to remain in the Los Angeles area through his graduate studies and as he embarks on his career.
