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Celebrating Students & Young Professionals this IEEE Foundation Day
The IEEE Foundation’s work is profound: to expand the IEEE charitable body of work by inspiring philanthropic engagement that ignites a donor’s innermost interests and values. This year on 16 February 2025, as we celebrate IEEE Foundation Day with the theme “Students + Young Professionals”, we proudly spotlight five remarkable individuals who embody the transformative impact of our student and young professional donor-supported programs: Max Petlick, Yucley Beb, Shang-Yi Sun, Ramesh Nair and Naviah Izquierdo.
These students and young professionals have not only received scholarships, grants, and funding but have leveraged these opportunities to create waves of positive change in their communities and fields of study. Their journeys are a testament to the incredible work that IEEE programs backed by the IEEE Foundation and its generous donors, make possible.
Max Petlick – Empowered by Connection
Max, a 4th-year electrical engineering student from the University of Florida (UFL), Gainesville, FL, USA received the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Scholarship Plus. Beyond its financial support, the scholarship introduced him to invaluable mentors and industry leaders, including IEEE Life Fellow John McDonald.
“Winning the PES Scholarship didn’t just alleviate financial burdens; it opened doors to meaningful relationships and career-shaping opportunities. The process was quick and easy, all I had to do was explain my interest in the Power industry and what I was doing to pursue it,” Max shares.
Max recently presented at IEEE Rising Stars, a conference designed to bring together the top engineering Young Professionals and Students around the world to network and be inspired by each other. Max’s topic was “Mastering the IEEE as a Student”. He was also selected to participate on a student panel at the IEEE Board Retreat in Rome, Italy. Now the President of the UFL IEEE Student Branch, Max is gearing up to graduate in May 2025 and plans to give back to the IEEE community in his career ahead.
Yucely Beb – Breaking Barriers and Inspiring Generations
As a proud descendant of the Maya-Kekchí people from Guatemala, Yucely Beb has used her journey in STEM to inspire others from underrepresented backgrounds. The recipient of the IEEE Systems Council James O IEEE. Gray Graduate Scholarship, Yucely used her award to prepare for her PhD in Control and Automation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This scholarship was instrumental in helping me begin my Ph.D.,” Yucely says. “It enabled me to enhance my language skills and facilitated academic mobility, laying the foundation for my future success.” She recalls, “Without this scholarship, starting my Ph.D. with a good grasp of the local language and improving my English skills might not have been possible. Additionally, knowing that I had the support of such a prestigious scholarship opened doors and provided options for where I could conduct my doctoral studies.”
Today, she volunteers globally, mentoring young students in STEM and sharing her story of resilience and success. Yucely reminds us, “Never listen to the ’no’s’ you might hear. Always strive and search for that ‘yes’—that opportunity. The only person who loses is the one who doesn’t try. Also, never forget where you come from; it will help you continue inspiring the younger generations who are following in your footsteps.”
Shang-Yi Sun – Bridging Borders in Research
Shang-Yi Sun is a PhD student from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia and his main research interests include antenna interference suppression, base station antenna arrays, and metasurfaces. He used his IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society C.J. Reddy Travel Grant to present his work at the IEEE AP-S/URSI 2024 conference in Florence, Italy.
“I presented my work to scholars from around the world and engaged in in-depth discussions, which not only greatly broadened my research perspectives but also built bridges of communication with peers worldwide,” he reflects.
Shang-Yi encourages others to embrace IEEE’s robust support system: “I encourage everyone to participate in various IEEE activities, especially to apply for different awards and grants. The extensive and strong support from IEEE always brings us pleasant surprises.”
Ramesh Nair– From Beneficiary to Benefactor
Ramesh Nair’s IEEE journey spans 15 years, from an undergraduate student who benefited from an IEEE Foundation Grant to a professional at Intel and now a donor himself.
In 2009, Ramesh was in his sophomore year of undergraduate study at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kerala, India, when a senior in his program encouraged him to join IEEE. “I quickly realized IEEE is much more than a student club,” shares Ramesh. “I was able to network with senior section members and officers and increased my understanding of IEEE benefits. And that’s when I first heard about the IEEE Foundation.”
The $7,500 IEEE Foundation Grant he received as a student helped his team turn a prototype for a gesture-based wheelchair control system into a functional product. Today, he remains committed to giving back, inspiring young professionals, and advancing technological innovation.
“When you are fresh out of college, you may not have the capacity to give money, but I believe you can still make a change by being a mentor to engineering students, volunteering in local STEM activities, or volunteering with IEEE activities,” Ramesh advises.
Naviah Izquierdo – Shaping the Skies
A first-generation student from the Bronx, Naviah Izquierdo is pursuing aerospace engineering at the University of Oklahoma with the support of the IEEE Women in Engineering Edith Hannigan McHale Scholarship.
“This scholarship alleviated some financial stress and made it easier for me to focus on my education,” Naviah says. She did not know about IEEE until her advisor told her about the scholarship. “During the application process I had a lot of assistance, both from my advisor and from IEEE as well.,” she shared.
Naviah remembers, ‘When I was in high school, I was one of the shy people.” Her advice? “Step out of your comfort zone here and there. It’s where growth happens. Don’t fear failure—it’s where the best lessons are learned.” She hopes to build a career as a Formula 1 aerodynamics engineer.
Join Us!
These stories illuminate how scholarships, travel grants, and research funding spark innovation and enable the next generation to flourish. But none of this would be possible without you—our donors.
Your generosity powers these life-changing programs, turning aspirations into achievements. To continue supporting students and young professionals like Max, Mayra, Shang-Yi, Ramesh, and Naviah, visit the IEEE Foundation Giving Page.
Together, we can inspire future generations to innovate, lead, and create a better world. Join us this IEEE Foundation Day in celebrating what your contributions have made possible—and imagine what more we can achieve together.
