Two incoming students awarded W. W. Allen Boys & Girls Club scholarship

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

STILLWATER, Okla. – Chris Baldwin of Bryant, Arkansas, and Nakia Smith of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, are recipients of the W. W. Allen Boys & Girls Club Scholarship worth more than $60,000 in scholarship, leadership development and global enrichment activities.

The W.W. Allen scholarship is a nationally recognized scholarship available to incoming Oklahoma State University freshmen from across the nation. Students must also be members of a Boys & Girls Club with the desire to pursue a career in the engineering industry. Baldwin and Smith will receive $15,000 annually for up to four years for a Bachelor of Science degree. The award also includes a professional mentor from the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology.

Baldwin became a member of the Bryant Boys & Girls Club in the third grade. Later, he was the treasurer of the Torch Club, which involved fundraising for the Boys & Girls Club, he said. He then went on to join the Boys & Girls Club Leadership Council and Quiz Bowl, and was an American Cancer Society Junior Ambassador in high school. He was also wrestling team captain and a four year letterman for wrestling. The Boys & Girls Club was a positive influence for him, Baldwin said.

“It has taught me incredibly useful leadership and organizational skills,” he said. “Learning and enjoying myself at the Boys & Girls Club has allowed me to garner a stronger character through programs, including the Torch Club, and assisting in homework and tutoring areas.”

Baldwin will start at OSU in the fall and major in aerospace engineering. Engineering is a combination of his favorite subjects, math and natural science, he said.

“I have fallen in love with sketching and drawing and refining and building and testing and repeating,” Baldwin said.

Smith was also named The Boys & Girls Club Oklahoma Youth of the Year for 2014. Smith became a member of the Boys & Girls Club 12 years ago. She was the president of the Keystone Club, a Boys & Girls Club organization focused on academic success, career preparation and community service. She also is a member of the National Honors Society and student council at Bartlesville High School. The Boys & Girls Club is a huge part of her life, she said.

“The Boys & Girls Club always pushed me to be a leader, challenged me academically which has allowed me much success,” Smith said. “They invested in me before I was invested in myself, and because of their consistent support I’ve been able to show others that it’s OK to dream big, take charge and choose not to be another statistic.”

Smith will start at OSU in the fall and major in chemical engineering. She has always had an “engineer’s mind,” she said.

“I realized a chemical engineering degree would open many doors as well,” she said. “I’m fortunate to have a major oil company’s research and development group in my hometown. I could certainly see myself transitioning into a career with ConocoPhillips.”

A generous donation from W. W. Allen, retired CEO and chairman of the Phillips Petroleum Company, funds this scholarship. Allen was once a member of the Boys & Girls Club in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and previously a member of the National Advisory Board. He credits the Boys & Girls Club with providing him an unusual opportunity for personal growth.

For more information, contact:
Amanda Williams
Scholarship Coordinator
College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology
405-744-2446
a.n.williams@okstate.edu