The American Institute of Chemical Engineers annually recognizes 10 undergraduates through its national Minority Scholarship Award, and one NMSU student is among this year's recipients.

Senior Hope Quintana has received a $1,000 scholarship in recognition for her hard work as a student member.

"Hope spends more hours in the department than most people," said David Rockstraw, academic department head. "She is very motivated, very driven, and she has a desire to leave the department in a better state than when she arrived. She is a leading student in her class."

This isn't the first scholarship Quintana has earned during her tenure at NMSU. She's a past recipient of the Steven G. Eason Leadership Current Use Scholarship, the D.W. Reeves Endowed Scholarship, the Paul W. & Valerie Klipsch Endowed Scholarship Honoring Joe and Priscilla Creed and the Texas Eastman Chemical Scholarship.

A graduate of Santa Fe's Saint Michael's High School, where she was an honor student and varsity cheerleader, Quintana is the youngest of three children in her family and the first to attend college.

After beginning her college education at Arizona State University, the chemical engineering student transferred to New Mexico State University in 2009.

"I have always been interested in science and math; it is what challenges me most," Quintana said. "I hope to live and work as a chemical engineer in a different country. One of my dreams would be to work as a lab researcher in Madrid, Spain."

"Becoming an engineer requires a lot of education, and I enjoy every minute of it because it challenges me," she said. "The best things in life are those you have to work for. My goal in life would be to work in the field of cancer research, and most importantly, the creation of pharmaceuticals for cancer patients."

In addition to serving as president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, vice president of Omega Chi Epsilon, vice president of the National Society of Professional Engineers and as student chair of the 2013 Rocky Mountain Student Regional Conference, Quintana is a Crimson Scholar who spends time volunteering at El Caldito Soup Kitchen, El Jardin de los Ninos and on the NMSU campus.

"It is an honor to be recognized not only for my academic achievements but my involvement in student organizations," Quintana said. "I just hope that I have inspired others to do the same; get involved and give back to the community in which you live."