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Holly Thomas

2x

Finalist

Bio

Welcome to my Profile! I'm from Texas and study Civil Engineering at University at Buffalo. I'm very passionate about Civil Engineering, I want to use mathematics to make the world a better place, to make transit easier, transportation faster, more efficient. I want to build a better world, brick by brick, plan by plan I want to attain a masters degree in transportation engineering, I want to work with local governments to create more accessible spaces for pedestrians and make roadways safer for motorists

Education

University at Buffalo

Bachelor's degree program
2025 - 2028
  • Majors:
    • Construction Engineering
    • Civil Engineering
  • GPA:
    3.9

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Master's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      • Civil Engineering
    • Dream career goals:

      Transportation Engineer

    • Student Assistant

      University at Buffalo
      2025 – Present1 year
    • Line Assembly

      Tesla
      2024 – 2024
    • Cashier

      Habitat for Humanity
      2022 – 20242 years

    Sports

    Soccer

    2024 – 20262 years

    Research

    • Materials Engineering

      University At Buffalo — Student Researcher
      2025 – Present

    Arts

    • Self

      Computer Art
      2022 – Present

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Food Not Bombs — Food servicer
      2025 – Present
    Bick New York Scholarship
    The educational journey I've been on thus far has be fraught with many difficulties. I started my journey in January of 2020, going to Indiana University at Bloomington. I was going through a rough time in my life, I faced inpatient hospitalization, and with the rise of Covid-19, I was forced to be remote for the 2021 academic year. I had missed out on major life experiences, faced isolation and ultimately dropped out until 2025, when I was able to return to school. I've overcome many obstacles in my time, in health, stability and education. I have managed to stay motivated despite it all, as I want to make a difference in this world. I plan on becoming a transportation engineer so I may work on transit projects and participate with underserved communities. This would involve transit opportunities in traffic management, bus lines and potentially subways and rails as well. Throughout these experiences, I have developed resilience, determination, and a greater appreciation for the opportunities that education provides. Every setback has reinforced my commitment to completing my degree and pursuing a career dedicated to improving the lives of others. Rather than allowing difficult circumstances to define my future, I have used them as motivation to continue moving forward and achieve my goals. As I enter my final year, I am focused not only on graduating but also on gaining the skills and experience necessary to serve communities that have historically lacked reliable transportation infrastructure. I believe that accessible public transit creates opportunities for employment, education, healthcare, and stronger communities. Being able to contribute to projects that improve mobility for people who rely on public transportation would be a meaningful way to give back. This scholarship would greatly help in the next step for my education. I have, despite it all kept a GPA above 3.6, and have now gone into my final year for my program. I require additional aid, I've already taken out loans and applied to many scholarships, but I am as of yet, unable to afford my tuition. This scholarship, if granted would be exceptionally helpful in the creation of a new engineer working for those who need aid. This scholarship would ease a significant financial burden and allow me to focus more fully on my coursework and professional development instead of the constant stress of funding my education. I am committed to making the most of this opportunity and to using my education to create lasting, positive change. Thank you for considering my application and for supporting students who are determined to overcome challenges and make a meaningful impact in their communities.
    Heron Wolf Civil & Infrastructure Scholarship
    My love of Civil Engineering can be broken down into a few fundamentals. These would be my interests and passions in the field, my struggles that have created me and the inspirations in my life that have shaped me as well. The first thing to go over, is what civil engineering means to me, civil engineering means everything to me. I've always been fascinated by road design and structure, transit and transportation, which being a small facet of civil engineering is what I wish to pursue. Civil engineering is important for our daily lives, nobody in the world has been untouched by civil engineering, water, power, transport, even air in some places due to environmental protections have civil engineers behind them. The roadways and the airports, the trains and the cars, I wish to have a hand in fixing, improving and sustaining these. Without civil engineering the world wouldn't go round, the world would be at a stand-still, there is a reason that civil engineering is the oldest branch of engineering next to military, there's always a need to take care of, and move people and things. in a world without civil engineering, it wouldn't be a world at all, civil engineers are the backbone of society and always will be. They are irreplaceable and important to the environment, and to the people. I started out my love for civil engineering with 2 things, a love for urban design, and a love for mathematics. I've watched many times practical engineering on YouTube, and been fascinated by every single principle from water hammer to soil erosion. I used to want to be an urban planner, but after finding out how the career worked and the small chances of it in the future, I switched to focus on civil engineering. Urban design has always been a close love of mine; however when combined with mathematics I am able to see a future as a civil engineer. As mentioned, I'm the most driven to improve our transit and infrastructure, while structural engineering, and water resource engineering seem fun, I'm most excited for transportation. Transportation engineering has always been my goal, I want to build a better future for America, road by road and street by street. I've faced a lot of mental health struggles, and after dropping out of school once, I have no desire to ever to that again. As a future female engineer, I foresee many challenges and obstacles ahead of me, many of which I am prepared to overcome. My mother and grandmother especially have always been inspiration for my life, they have always held themselves to a high standard. My mother put herself through nursing school whilst raising two kids by herself. My grandmother always has worked with her hands, even when she was a stay at home mother, she decided that she wanted more from life and started a nursing school ran from her home. I come from a small town in rural Texas, while we have German culture, and the world's largest waterpark, we don't have much else to show. I want to improve my hometown, I want to make it a better place. To overcome all of these challenges, I have my family to depend on, and I have my future mentors in the field that I'm sure will help. I am more excited than anything to become a female engineer. To sum things up, Civil engineering means a lot to me, it's always fascinated me and I've always dreamt of becoming one. I strongly desire for the world to be a better place, and know that I can take a part of that change, by being an engineer. I will rely on my family, my mentors and my teachers for the future I have set myself on and I have no plans of slowing down.