2021 Stabler Donor Impact Report R4

INTERDISCIPLINARY Name: Fabian Chavez Hernandez Hometown: Phoenix, AZ Major: IDEAS Class: 2023 Favorite activity: Society of Hispanic Professionals and Engineers Favorite faculty or staff: Professor William Best, Co-Director, IDEAS Dream job: Civil Engineer What inspires me to excel at Lehigh is my family. I am the first in my family to be studying at a university, and it will be quite an honor to be the first to earn a degree. Not only that, but I am the eldest out of four children, and so I hope to be a role model for my siblings. Graduating from Lehigh with an engineering degree will help me so much in the future and allow me to help my family as well. I was recently accepted into the STEPS/EI Summer Fellowship. I am quite excited about this opportunity because it will be my first time working on a summer project at Lehigh. I will be col- lecting data on Chimney Swift migrational patterns and working with the city of Bethlehem to build and install Chimney Swift towers. This is a great opportunity to have some fieldwork expe- rience and to add to my resume. I am excited for this upcoming summer and can’t wait to start. The faculty and staff are really helpful in classes and want you to succeed. I’ve personally benefited from the office hours facul- ty hold, especially when we go over difficult problems and the topics covered in the classroom. My advisor for the IDEAS program, William Best, teaches a seminar for students in the program. I love his seminars because he goes over topics which are not usually covered in typical engineering courses. He focuses a lot of his discussions on the ethical implications of engineering and who should be responsible for possible disasters. His discussions make me reflect about my responsibilities as a future engineer and how I will affect people around me. His class is a good break from the science part of engineering, and it’s always important to reflect on mistakes of past engineers. Giving back to me means helping others and people from different backgrounds of life. There are different ways people can give back, and I think giving back to communities you have been a part of for a long time is extremely important. I think some important ways to give back are through guidance and mentorship. When I graduate, I plan to continue to be involved with the Lehigh community and hopefully provide resources to fellow engineering students. Whether it be financial donations, donating time, or mentoring students, I believe any way of giving back is useful. I am very thankful for this scholarship. With your contribution, you are making an impact on the financial situation of many students. I am blessed to have received scholarships, which cover the costs of attendance by a significant amount. If I didn’t receive any type of financial support, I wouldn’t be studying at Lehigh. Thank you.