Some students start making an impact on society before they graduate. Some create successful
companies. Some take part in humanitarian outreach. Some play a major role in the fundraising that helps Michigan Engineering to provide the best student experience possible. And some inspire others.Years from now, when people recall the Campaign, the stories of two special students will still amaze.

Inder Dhillon

Inder Dhillon, currently a student pursuing a master’s degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering as part of the Engineering Global Leadership Honors Program, said that, at Michigan Engineering, he’s “developed the analytical and interpersonal skills necessary to make a lasting difference as a consultant. I can’t say enough about the opportunity to pursue a career in consulting. I’m enthused by the constant learning process.”

The learning process took an unexpected turn during Progress & Promise: 150th Anniversary Campaign, when his parents, wanting him to learn the importance of giving, presented Inder with $50,000 to use in a philanthropic manner. Feeling strongly about what the College of Engineering had given to him, he used the $50,000 to establish the Dhillon-Randhawa Family Educational Scholarship Fund. The first scholarship will be awarded in fall 2009.

Jessica Zembala

When Jessica Lea Zembala (BSE CEE ’93) passed away on April 18, 2003, she left behind family, friends and loved ones who wanted to establish a lasting memorial. The process began in an unusual manner, with Judy Sikes, the mother of Jessica’s fiancé, Allen Sikes, putting things in motion. With the support of family and friends, they created the Jessica Lea Zembala Memorial Scholarship Fund in her memory.

Jessica and Allen, whom she’d met as a student at Michigan Engineering, devoted their time to environmental, social and urban issues. As a professional engineer with Pape-Dawson, a civil engineering firm in San Antonio, Texas, Jessica helped design San Antonio’s water reuse pipeline.

Stephanie Guisbert, the current Jessica Lea Zembala Memorial Scholar, is studying structural engineering. She said that now she has “more time for my studies and extracurriculars, rather than working to help out with expenses.”