Nada Elgendy, Pottstown High School Class of 2022, is using a scholarship from The Constellation STEM Scholarship program to help continue her education at the University of Pittsburgh where she will be majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She along with her engineering teacher Mr. Andy Bachman, PHS administrator Teri Baller, and Career Coach Susan Pritt were invited to the Limerick Generation Station for the award presentation and a tour of the facility.
The scholarship, $2,500 a year for a total of $10,000, is awarded to an outstanding academic student, recommended by their high school faculty, and who plans on majoring in Engineering, Physics, or Chemistry. Nada and guests toured the training center which includes the Reactor Operators Control Room. Nada was briefed on the various controls and processes. The highlight of the training center tour was witnessing the Constellation teamwork through a simulation of a power plant incident.
As Nada said, “It was amazing watching them go straight-faced and just execute emergency protocols with such professionalism and precision. While in high school Nada at the age of 16, took her first college class, Advanced College Prep Calculus accredited by the University of Pittsburgh. She is no stranger to a high level of achievement; Engineering Competition Team: 2021 PA Governor’s STEM Competition (3rd Runner Up), 2022 PA Governor’s STEM Competition (Honorable Mention), 2021 PennDOT STEM Challenge (Regional Place Winner).
Mr. Bachman said of her, Nada has become an extremely competent engineer in training. She can effectively design, engineer, and fabricate complicated solutions. She can use every tool in the lab and even used her independent study time to learn welding fundamentals. Nada will prove to be an outstanding engineer because she has the hands-on skills to build what she designs.
Nada is an example of our district mission, to prepare each student, by name, for success at every level and gives us another reason to say, proud to be from Pottstown.