Growing up in Tennessee, Jared Murphy couldn’t wait for the next episode of MacGyver, the action-adventure series about a hero who uses science and wits, rather than violence, to solve problems. Like his favorite television character, Jared also loved solving problems and figuring out how things worked. When Jared was 14 his mother decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia to provide her son better educational opportunities. The move proved to be a positive one. In high school, Jared excelled, and for the first time, he was exposed to peers that had aspirations beyond any he had ever considered for himself. Soon Jared began to adopt grand aspirations of his own. Jared wanted to pursue a career in mechanical engineering so he could challenge himself by solving problems and designing things to work better. Jared’s academic achievements and interest in engineering led him to Stanford University, but his mother couldn’t afford the school’s steep tuition on her own. Jared agreed to file for financial aid and work part-time while attending school. After a successful freshman year, Jared was invited to attend Monster’s Diversity Leadership Program (Monster DLP) held at the University of Georgia, in Athens, Georgia. The program, put on by Monster.com, provides culturally diverse college students the opportunity to build practical job search skills and interact with leading business representatives. Jared and several other students were matched up with professionals from Shell, one of the event’s sponsors, to discuss engineering challenges and opportunities in the energy sector. Jared loved what he learned and he expressed a sincere interest in an internship with the company. The Shell representatives did Jared one better. Later that evening, Jared sat in the audience listening as program participants were called to receive scholarships. Then it happened. Jared wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard his own name called. He wasn’t dreaming. After their interaction with Jared, Shell representatives were convinced that he should receive the company’s Technical Scholarship. Now Jared’s back at Stanford. Thanks to the scholarship, he isn’t accumulating student loans and he’s focusing all of his attention on his course work and volunteer student activities. And that’s important, because companies like Shell will be looking for smart engineers like Jared who can solve problems, figure out how to make things work better, and make a positive impact on their communities.
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