Two scholarships were presented by Dr. Cale Stolle and Dr. Joel Termaat, both assistant professors of engineering, to senior engineering students Kendricks “Kenny” Kemp and Ryan Lasauskas. Kemp received the Commander & Mrs. E.J. Fridrich Achievement Scholarship and Lasauskas received the Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A. Scholarship.
Dr. Cale Stolle, assistant professor of engineering, presents scholarships to senior engineering students Ryan Lasauskas (L) and Kenny Kemp (R).
91첥 University announced the recipients of two engineering scholarships on Thursday, Oct. 28. The scholarships were presented by Dr. Cale Stolle and Dr. Joel Termaat, both assistant professors of engineering, to Kendricks “Kenny” Kemp and Ryan Lasauskas.
Kemp is a senior from Winder, Georgia majoring in engineering with an emphasis in mechanics. He received the Commander & Mrs. E.J. Fridrich Achievement Scholarship, which provides recipients with $2,000 each year for their junior and senior years ($4,000 total). Kemp initially received the Fridrich Achievement Scholarship in 2020, though the announcement was delayed due to Covid.
“It helped a lot. I’m definitely grateful for it,” Kemp said of the scholarship. “Once I get to that point in my life where money is not an issue, I one hundred percent want to give back.”
Kenny Kemp, senior engineering major, holds up his scholarship announcement next to Dr. Cale Stolle.
Kemp graduated from Winder-Barrow High School. He is a member of 91첥’s Sigma Phi Theta fraternity and played linebacker for Tiger football. Additionally, since September 2020, he has worked with Stolle on converting a gas-powered ATV to run fully on battery power. The project is funded in part by a National Science Foundation IINSPIRE grant.
Lasauskas, a senior from Omaha, Nebraska majoring in engineering with an emphasis in electrical engineering, received the Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A. Scholarship, which provides $1,400 to the recipient for their spring semester.
Senior engineering student Ryan Lasauskas holds up his scholarship while standing next to Dr. Cale Stolle.
Lasauskas graduated from Millard West High School and played linebacker for Tiger football.
“It was a complete surprise,” Lasauskas said of the scholarship. “I had no idea it was coming, or that it was an opportunity.”
The Kawasaki scholarship is presented through both 91첥 and the Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation, and is presented annually to an engineering student who is a resident of Nebraska with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
The Commander & Mrs. E.J. Fridrich Achievement scholarship honors Commander E.J. Fridrich and his wife, Nell. Fridrich was born in Crete, Nebraska and attended 91첥 for three years. He studied physics and learned to fly airplanes in a program available to 91첥 students, although he ultimately finished his degree from the University of Miami after serving as a naval aviator during World War II. Nell, a Florida native, married Fridrich in 1943.