Six Power and Energy students were selected by the Power and Energy Society’s annual PES awards. The program was created in 2011 and has been going strong since. Since 2019, six other University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students have won, several students winning multiple times. This year’s cohort of awardees represents the largest number of University of Illinois students to win in a single year.
Matthew Tees, Marketing Specialist with IEEE, provided the following statement:
“Created in 2011, this scholarship was established to address a crucial challenge facing the field of power and energy: the significant shortage of power engineers needed to sustain and transform electric energy systems. The program awards scholarships to undergraduate students in an effort to attract top talent to the power and energy field. Furthermore, it connects scholars to companies seeking highly qualified interns and co-op students, providing them with vital career experience prior to graduation.”
Tees also noted that the scholarship was expanded last year to include undergraduates for the first time, hoping to provide a direct route from graduation to employment in the IEEE fields of interest. Consequently, a remarkable 244 PES Scholars were selected this year from the applicant pool. IEEE PES supporters include industry leaders in P&E, including Burns and McDonnell, S&C Electric, and philanthropic organizations like The Hoveida Family Foundation.
Here at Illinois, congratulations are owed to the 25/26 PES Scholars: Julian Gamboa, Sandra Georgy, Victoria Lee, Alec Loessy, Maxwell Mamishev and Dora Stavenger! These students are set to graduate this May with their Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Julian “JD” Gamboa is hoping to earn a PhD in nuclear engineering and is excited about recent efforts in nuclear commercialization. “My goal is to work within the industry to eliminate global reliance on fossil fuels, ensuring a future where clean, sustainable energy is accessible to all,” said Gamboa. Of the scholarship, he said “Winning the IEEE PES Scholarship is a profound honor that validates my commitment to engineering and feels like a powerful vote of confidence in my vision for the energy industry.” Gamboa was honored with internships at Milhouse Engineering & Construction and worked on the HIDRA project (Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications) at UIUC, working on nuclear fusion among other research.
Another winner, Alec Loessy stated that “Receiving this award was important to prove to myself that the hard work and time I had put into my course work and internship search was not only worth it but also recognized as being exceptional.” Alec intends to follow his career prospects in power electronics, targeting boom areas like electric vehicles and power structures supporting large data centers. Alec also intends to obtain his master’s before entering the workforce.
Said recipient Dora Stavenger, “Receiving the award means a lot to me as it rewards the focus I have put into the power and energy area throughout my undergrad career.” Stavenger performed an internship at Milwaukee Tool in Wisconsin, in the summer of 2025. She will be taking a role at the company as a Motors Engineer following her graduation this May. Stavenger has worked with Professor Andrew Stillwell’s, Stillwell Power Group, laboratory for two years.
The IEEE PES Scholarship Plus is now accepting applications for the 2026-27 academic year. Interested in a career in power and energy? Learn more and submit your application here.