Patroon

This past May, Hannah graduated from RPI with a degree in Computer Science. She is the first person in her family who graduated from college with a degree in a STEM field. She recently accepted a position with IBM and is currently working as a DevOps Developer on IBM’s Watson in San Jose, building the next generation of context based search.

“I am a drastically different, more confident woman since I arrived as a freshman.  RPI breaks you down, and builds you back up. Thank you to everyone who supports scholarships at RPI. You’ve allowed me to pursue my passions and ambitions.”

“My goal is to become a doctor.  Through hard work and good fortune, I was awarded the Rensselaer Medal and Leadership Award scholarships.  I wouldn’t be at Rensselaer and working on Alzheimer’s research and on course to be a doctor without your gifts in support to my scholarship funds.”

Studied Management, New York, NY, Sabby Financial, CFO

“My four years at Rensselaer were truly unforgettable and I loved my time spent in Troy, NY.  Having RPI on the resume was a definite plus and it has given me opportunities and friendships that have meant the world to me. This would not have been possible without the financial aid and scholarship program at Rensselaer.”

Studied Electrical Engineering, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Exxon Mobil, Retired

As a high school senior in Baltimore, MD, John Hill Shaw III ’67 wanted to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but he believed his dream would be derailed by a “lack of financial support.” Regardless, he sent in his application—and Rensselaer responded with a full-tuition scholarship and enough financial aid to cover his other expenses.

“I received a very fine education at RPI,” says Shaw, a 1967 graduate with a degree in electrical engineering. “This allowed me to have a good career, spend 20 years in Asia, and retire early at age 55.”

Today, Shaw is returning the favor by supporting scholarships for today’s students. In addition to his endowed Joanna and John H. Shaw III ’67 Scholarship, he also supports three students in the Patroon Scholars program.

Ryan Doherty ’13 likes to talk about being a project engineer. Because he is.

He also like to talk about racing cars. Because he does. He grew up racing since he was seven and continues as a hobby today.

Ryan also like to talk about dolls, action figures, and Disney movies. Because that’s his job. (Or part of it) And he loves it.

Ryan, a Rensselaer Patroon Scholarship recipient, graduated from RPI in 2013 with a degree in mechanical engineering. As an undergrad, he did a co-op at Goodyear, working as a project engineer on tire development and assembly. Continuing in product development, he accepted an offer from Hasbro upon graduation and has never looked back.

“When the Beauty and the Beast Live Action movie came out, I was Project Manager and Lead Engineer. I managed our interactions with licensing, shaped character design in order to cater for manufacturing with colleagues and vendors around the world. It was a real challenge, but it felt great to be a part of a successful team.”

Ryan believes his preparation began years earlier at RPI. As part of his capstone project during his senior year, Ryan and five fellow students partnered with GE Wind to do airflow research for wind turbines. “They’re expensive to test if produced at full or even 50% scale, so our team was tasked with translating test results from a very small scale. Our team needed to build instrumentation for forces exerted on airfoils capable of fitting within the RPI windtunnel.”

A technically demanding project, the most important skills he learned were in teamwork, communication, note taking and documentation as they had to coordinate results with GE as well as the next group of students. This experience directly translates into what he works on now.

Reflecting on how being a Patroon Scholar helped him grow and flourish during his undergrad career, Ryan shares, “RPI was a big adjustment for me. I had to work to meet the challenge. My ability to manage a team and prioritize at Hasbro started at RPI.”

“I am thankful to Paul Lang for his Patroon Scholarship gift. These scholarships are incredibly helpful to students and all donors should be recognized further for the gifts they provide.”

Greg Merrill, a Patroon Scholarship recipient, graduated from Rensselaer in 2017 with a degree in chemical engineering. He was drawn to Rensselaer in part because of its reputation for an academically focused, yet well-rounded, student body.

His Patroon Scholarship allowed him to take advantage of the campus life and be an active student himself, joining fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha, RPI club soccer, and the RPI alpine ski racing team.

“Not many schools have ski teams, so getting the chance to race and compete on behalf of RPI was a huge thrill.”

Greg also excelled in the classroom, using his lifelong love of science and math to complete his degree and go on to get positions at GlobalFoundries and Jacobs Engineering in Malta, N.Y.

Greg was also drawn to Rensselaer because he was proud to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. Fred Doty, Class of 1947, was a WWII veteran and participated in Rensselaer’s V-12 Navy College Training Program.

“RPI has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’m very happy with my decision to attend. And I would like to sincerely thank Paul Lang and all other scholarship donors for giving me this life-changing opportunity.”

Before he begins a new task, Curtis Basa ’21 likes to have the end in mind.

What is his end goal for his career? “My dream is to start my own robotics company in Silicon Valley. I believe artificial intelligence and robotics are the future.”

Knowing his goal, Curtis researched engineering schools nationwide for the right fit and found Rensselaer. Liking what he saw and read, he applied, and was accepted, while also being awarded a Patroon Scholarship.

When he arrived on campus in the fall of 2017, he was a little uneasy about moving across country from Nevada to attend school in Troy, N.Y. Maybe he hadn’t made the right choice?

His fears were soon put to rest.

“Right out of the gate, there was an emphasis on an end goal for your career. There was a career fair at the beginning of the year, in addition to the end of the year, and the RPI Center for Career & Professional Development staff spoke about taking the extra steps to succeed in your career.”

It hasn’t been all business though. With the support of his Patroon Scholarship, Curtis has taken advantage of student life opportunities such as the Philippine American League, the Photography Club, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), as well as Rensselaer Talks-TIDBITS, where he hopes to present on his future invention someday. “Stay tuned,” he says with a grin.

Curtis reflects on being across the country from his parents and family: “I miss them, but they are very happy for me. I have very high expectations for myself, but they emphasize balance. They want me to try my best, but also to have a good experience.”

Having scholarships has allowed Curtis to find that balance, and strive to make the most of his opportunities. This is something he thinks about a lot.

“A great education comes at a price. Right now, students are rich on potential, and donors are rich in capital. So I’m thankful that my Patroon Scholar donor Paul Lang found success and decided to make an investment in me, and I plan one day to invest in a scholarship for a future student.”

Paul Lang ’67 was in over his head.

It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last.

But he was fascinated.

“It was my senior year at RPI and I had taken the most challenging course of my career: Nonlinear Vibrations. Learning about Routh-Hurwitz stability criteria made my eyes spin, but I needed to pass.”

Paul showed up early and stayed late and even did extra credit, but going into his final exam, he only had an F+ average.

Needing to pass the final exam to pass the class, he just barely made it!

“I remember getting that news from the professor. He was tough but he appreciated my hard work and effort and willingness to try.”

That class opened the door to Paul working at Eastman Kodak, a job he believes he only got because he passed ‘Nonlinear Vibrations’ and listed it on his resume.

While at Eastman Kodak, Paul worked on several special projects: “They had satellite space cameras that were taking pictures in space, but the major problem they had was transporting the cameras on the ground in trucks without damaging them. Our project was to design a system that protected these delicate cameras as they were being driven up and down the east coast. And my coursework at RPI had directly trained me for this challenge.”

Throughout Paul’s time at Rensselaer and in his engineering career at Mobil Chemical that spanned the globe, Paul had no concept about where he was going next – only that he needed to be prepared and ready and willing to take risks and accept new challenges.

“RPI helped give me the knowledge, people skills, and relationships to be successful. Once I reached a degree of success, I felt the responsibility to give back and take a risk on the next generation of students.”

So in 2008, Paul did the math and with the help of Exxon Mobil’s matching gift program, he realized he could fund a Patroon Scholarship – a four year, $10,000/year scholarship designated to one student. That day, Paul signed his Patroon Scholars agreement and sent in his check. Nine gifts later, he has supported two students through college and just began his third, set to graduate in 2021.

“I choose to give back to RPI because I believe the Institute opened all kinds of doors for me, and I want those same doors opened for today’s students.”

Paul just celebrated his 50th Reunion from Rensselaer in 2017, along with his fraternity brothers and lifelong friends. He still continues to work, as well as support his church and youth focused organizations in his home in Connecticut. And he still doesn’t know where he’ll end up next. But he has no second thoughts on supporting scholarships at his alma mater.

“RPI’s motto is ‘Why not Change the World’ and that’s what I am doing. Why not?”