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Shawn & Rocki Wilson Endowed Scholarship in Engineering

Shawn, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, enrolled at USL in 1987, initially majoring in Nursing before graduating in Urban & Regional Planning from the College of Liberal Arts in 1993. In 1990, he met his life partner, Rodricka “Rocki” Wilson, a native of Marksville, LA. Rocki earned her bachelor's degree in applied sciences from UL Lafayette in 1996.

Rocki and Shawn were both highly involved in campus life as students. Rocki worked as a student in the University Police Officer and was a member of the Union Programming Council and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Shawn served as a Residence Hall Director, held various positions in the Student Government Association including Vice President and President, and was the student member of the Board of Trustees. Additionally, he was the President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Founder of the College Chapter of the NPHC. Their children grew up on campus and later enrolled and graduated from the university. Their dedication to the University continued, and Shawn eventually became the Alumni Association's first African American President after being active in the Christiana Smith African American Alumni Chapter.
Professionally, Rocki earned a Master of Education from UL Lafayette in Educational Foundation & Leadership and applied her knowledge in the private and public school system as a teacher and administrator. Shawn earned a Master of Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Mandel School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA.

In 2015, Shawn was appointed as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development and served in that role until his retirement in 2023. Shawn holds the distinction of being the longest-serving Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development. He also has the distinction of being the first African American President of the American Association of State Transportation Officials. He also served as Chair of the Executive Committee of the National Academies of Sciences Transportation Research Board. Following his retirement, Shawn ran for Governor of Louisiana and finished second. He became a Senior Vice President at WSP, USA in 2024.

 

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Student recipient must be admitted to the University and enrolled as a full-time student.
  2. Student recipient must have and maintain a minimum 2.7 cumulative GPA.
  3. Student must be classified as a sophomore or junior.
  4. Preference given to students in Civil Engineering.
  5. Preference given to a first-generation student, i.e., neither parent nor legal guardian(s) have earned a college degree, who is a resident from an underrepresented community, and a resident of the United States.
  6. Preference given to students engaged and/or serving in leadership role(s) in student organizations within the College of Engineering and/or campus wide.