2 Students Receive Kennedy Engineering Leadership Awards

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Kennedy Engineering Leadership Awards

The Gallogly College of Engineering Board of Advisors presented the Kennedy Engineering Leadership Award to two students at its November meeting with board chair Mark Welch, a 1992 industrial engineering alumni, presiding. The awards, traditionally presented during the Felgar Society Gala, were presented virtually this year. 

The Kennedy Engineering Leadership Awards were established by 1955 engineering alumni Bill Kennedy to recognize students involved in the Jerry Holmes Leadership Program. Each year, two engineering students receive a $3,500 cash award. 

“In honor of his passion for excellence in leadership, and his respect for General Holmes, Mr. Kennedy established the William J. Kennedy Engineering Leadership Award in 2015,” said Randa Shehab, PhD, the college’s senior associate dean for academic affairs and faculty development.

Oklahoma City resident Miguel Payan, a senior double majoring in architectural engineering and mathematics, received the Kennedy Engineering Leadership Award. He is president of the OU chapter of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). He began his time at OU with the AT&T Summer Bridge program and has pursued leadership opportunities across campus since his first semester, including Campus Activities Council, Latinos without Borders and Crimson Club. He was recently named a Top 10 Senior and was admitted to PE-ET, OU’s senior honor society. Within the Gallogly College, he has worked as a Dean’s Leadership Council peer mentor for first-year students and a student assistant for Summer Bridge. He has conducted undergraduate research through the Honors College and the McNair Scholars Program. 

Payan's impact within OU Engineering is demonstrated by his participation in SHPE. One nominator wrote, “I’ve seen first-hand the energy and effort that Mr. Payan pours into SHPE to ensure it is successful in the empowerment of Hispanics in STEM.” Prior to his presidency, he served as the local chapter’s conference chair and vice president of finance and as the vice regional student representative for the Oklahoma and Arkansas subregion. As president, he encouraged the chapter executive board to participate in leadership development activities, such as the annual engineering leadership retreat, and has created an internal leadership development program for first-year SHPE members. In the words of his nominators, “The OU College of Engineering would not be the same without his passion to lead change.” 

Engineering physics student Rachel Penner, of Tijeras, New Mexico,  is a Kennedy award recipient. She is a co-founder of the OU chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). For her work with the chapter, the national SEDS organization awarded her with the Jeff Bezos Leadership Award. 

Penner’s nomination read: “Ms. Penner’s leadership has transformed the OU Engineering community. In establishing the SEDS chapter, she argued tirelessly for inclusive policies and recognized that space is for everyone. Due to her efforts, SEDS serves the OU community as an incubation hub for up-and-coming leaders. During her time at OU, she has also served as an officer in the Society of Women Engineers and Alpha Sigma Kappa – Women in Technical Studies. As the society’s inaugural fundraising chair, she organized a new alumni-collegian mixer event, resulting in both professional networking opportunities and a $2,000 increase in direct donations to the chapter. For Alpha Sigma Kappa, OU’s sorority for women in STEM, she has provided guidance, encouragement and support to members as the chapter navigated the pandemic. Her skills in sense-making allowed her to think critically about the needs of fellow students and identify gaps in both the social and professional opportunities available … and intentionally structure an organization to meet those needs … committed, creative and competent, she represents the best of what a leader should be. Her impact on OU Engineering cannot be overstated.”


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