OU Engineering Freshmen Shine at 2021 AT&T Summer Bridge Program

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Students (starting second from left) Diego Perez Avendano, Harrison Dean, Brandon Aparicio and Raymond Conner receive the 2021 Summer Bridge Award of Excellence at the closing ceremony. On left, is Chad Davis, ECE instructor, and far right,  Chris Dalton, AME associate professor.

This summer, 48 incoming freshmen coming from Oklahoma, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nevada and Texas graduated from the AT&T Summer Bridge Program in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. The four-week on-campus program was designed to prepare students entering an OU engineering program for the academic rigor of engineering coursework.

Sponsored by AT&T and Dolese, students worked in teams to design and build miniature robotic vehicles. The students applied various skills and concepts of engineering to their designs. They also practiced effective communication, prioritization and presentation skills alongside teammates. After a month of complicated engineering work and long hours, the teams presented their designs to family, friends and faculty in a showcase event Aug. 6. 

“We are all incredibly proud of the grit and dedication each of our participants has shown through the last four weeks,” said Allison Quiroga, AT&T Summer Bridge coordinator. “The program prepares these students with the skills and resources they will need for their journey in engineering here at the University of Oklahoma and beyond. We cannot wait to see where their journeys lead.”

Several awards were presented at the showcase, including the Summer Bridge Award of Excellence to students Brandon Aparicio, Diego Perez Avendano, Raymond Conner and Harrison Dean. Winners in other areas were:

First place in best presentation went to Miguel Herrera Bravo, Alison Johns, Layne Paul and Makenzie Toma. Second place went to Dylan Becerra, Madison Kuzmic, Jason Lam and Phoenix Turner. Third place was presented to Lee Fulsaas, Paola Grella, Abigail Knudsen and Jacob Liddell.

Ryne Allen, Lainee DeLise, Liberty Dolberry and Emily Stark were awarded first place in best team performance. Second-place recipients were Lauren Cutherell, Kaya Eckhart, Ash Simpson and Malcolm Williams. Third-place honorees were Brandon Aparicio, Diego Perez Avendano, Raymond Conner and Harrison Dean. 

First-place recipients for best car appearance were Alexis Chavez, Terriauna James, Meryem Oldro and Juan Valle. Two teams received second place: Brandon Aparicio, Diego Perez Avendano, Raymond Conner and Harrison Dean; and Thomas Hanes, David Seda LaCelle, Christopher Luce and Javeon Yarbrough. Third place went to Dylan Becerra, Madison Kuzmic, Jason Lam and Phoenix Turner. 

Students also attended entry engineering courses while they worked on their vehicles and all received early college credit for participating in the program. The Summer Bridge Program is an annual program sponsored by AT&T and Dolese. Learn more.



 


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