In a surprise presentation at SystemsGo Central Texas launch site, Pasadena Memorial High School senior Angela Marner was awarded the 2022 Brett Williams Scholarship. L-R: Kyle Jurek, Pasadena Memorial HS Seniors Teacher; Stacy Vance, PMHS Juniors Teacher; Richard Marler; Angela Marler; Scott Netherland, Executive Director; and Rebekah Hyatt, Program Director.
June 6, 2022–Angela Marler of Pasadena Memorial High School has been selected as the 2021-2022 Brett Williams Scholarship recipient, awarded annually by SystemsGo, the Texas-based nonprofit STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program.
The $3000 scholarship was established by the SystemsGo Board of Directors in 2017 to sustain the legacy of founding instructor Brett Williams. It is a merit-based scholarship awarded to a current high school senior that has completed at least the Tsiolkovsky level curriculum and launched a rocket designed to take a one-pound payload to one mile.
“Every year we award a scholarship to one of the 3000 students that go through our program,” said Rebekah Hyatt, SystemsGo Program Director. “The recipient exemplifies the philosophy of SystemsGo, to demonstrate the ability to problem solve in a project-based STEM classroom. We are proud to present the Brent Williams Scholarship to Angela Marler.”
Marler’s lifelong interest in engineering and space was solidified in 7th grade when she did a research project about a potential career. Her favorite subject was math, and she became “enamored” of aerospace engineering. So she was pleased to learn that her high school offered the SystemsGo program.
“When I heard my freshman year that we could do an aerospace program in 11th and 12th grade, I was shocked,” Marler said. “I was so excited because I was going to get to experience and learn about what I’m going to do in the future.”
Marler plans to attend the University of Texas at Arlington and participate in their co-op engineering program with Lockheed Martin.
“My participation in the SystemsGo program has helped to further my resolve by allowing me to participate in the engineering design process and develop various ‘soft skills’ necessary,” she said. “This is a huge opportunity for me and it’s going to allow me to focus on my studies and really dig in to all of the engineering aspects that I’ll experience in college.”
During this spring’s Rockets2022 event, SystemsGo launched 150 student-built rockets at five sites across Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.
SystemsGo uses a problem and project-based model to invoke and stimulate skills in design, development, testing, analysis, and innovation. It currently is used in dozens of high schools across four states. More information at www.systemsgo.org.