Ky. Transportation Cabinet distributes engineering scholarships

A Whitley County High School alumnus is one of 30 college students representing 22 Kentucky counties, who are recipients of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) scholarships to help pay for tuition and land a full-time job building a better Kentucky through transportation, according to a KYTC release.

The more than 70-year scholarship program helps students pursue civil engineering and engineering technology degrees through two civil engineering-focused scholarships.

Michael Luke Baker is a 2020 graduate of Whitley County High School, who is attending the University of Kentucky. He received a $59,200 reward and is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering.

Funding awards are for the 2022-2023 school year to prospective and current college students. The recipients are students at Big Sandy Community and Technical College, Morehead State University, the University of Kentucky, and Western Kentucky University.

“Governor Beshear and our Cabinet are genuinely committed to building the next generation of transportation leaders who will help shape a better Kentucky for all our families,” said KYTC Secretary Jim Gray. “Our Cabinet provides more than funds to students; we also provide practical hands-on experience in the summer and full-time employment after graduation. This scholarship is a proven pipeline to recruiting and retaining top talent in our state.”

Scholarship recipients agree to work for KYTC for a year for every year they received the scholarship. Former scholarship recipients have held top management positions at KYTC including deputy secretaries, state highway engineers, chief district engineers and branch managers. Twenty-seven recipients earned the Civil Engineering Scholarship and three earned the Civil Engineering Technology Scholarship.

The Civil Engineering Scholarship is for students focusing on a four-year engineering degree who attend the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University or Kentucky State University. It is awarded to 20-30 new students and can be worth up to $59,200 (ranging from $7,200 to $7,600 per semester).

The Civil Engineering Technology Scholarship was established in 2009 and partners with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). Each scholarship student will receive $3,000 per semester to complete an associate degree in Civil Engineering Technology from either of the KCTCS campuses in Lexington or Prestonsburg. The Cabinet will award up to 12 scholarships to students to attend either campus.

The next cycle of applications will begin in November 2022 and the deadline to apply is Feb. 1, 2023.