Scholarship Winner
Adan Aguirre
2025 FASAE SoCal Education Foundation Alimento-Niere Scholarship recipient.
Adan is a Mexican-Filipino American sophomore at USC studying Civil Engineering with a Building Science focus, earning distinctions such as the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, AP Scholar, and a place on the 2025 Dean’s List. He is deeply committed to mentorship, speaking on panels and volunteering at schools to inspire younger Filipino and Mexican students to pursue engineering and architecture. His leadership spans both academic and military roles, serving as Secretary/Historian and Timber Strong Design Team Captain for ASCE, as well as a Midshipman 3/C and Squad Leader in NROTC. Guided by his veteran parents’ example, he intends to commission as a Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer before ultimately pursuing his dream of designing and building homes.
Adan is a Mexican-Filipino American and the youngest of four siblings, born to two U.S. Marine Corps veterans. Now a sophomore at the University of Southern California (USC), he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on Building Science at the Viterbi School of Engineering. His highly gifted academic career is a testament to his perseverance and passion for empowering others, earning him notable honors including the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, an AP Scholar Award, and securing a spot on the Dean’s List for 2025.
Adan is determined to give back by mentoring younger peers, sharing the passion for engineering and architecture that helped him gain acceptance to USC. He wants to show younger students that someone who looks like them belongs in this field, as he did not have Filipino or Mexican civil engineer or architect examples to look up to when he was younger. He speaks on panels and volunteers at schools, hoping to inspire the next generation of professionals to pursue their passions with intrepidity. He reminds younger Filipino Americans that they already possess great cultural values, such as working hard, being resilient, and holding compassion, that spark good designs and solutions.
He demonstrates his commitment to leadership through dual roles in both academic and military organizations. Academically, he serves in multiple roles for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as Secretary/Historian and Timber Strong Design Team Captain. In these positions, he coordinates organizational operations and leads the design team in managing structural design and performance testing. Additionally, Adan serves as a Midshipman 3/C and Squad Leader in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC). This military commitment involves developing leadership, discipline, and fitness through military training and coursework in preparation for commissioning as a U.S. Navy Officer. He leads squad members in weekly drills, ensuring performance excellence, accountability, and teamwork.
Following in the footsteps of his veteran parents, Adan plans to commission as a Seabee in the Civil Engineering Corps (CEC) of the U.S. Navy upon completing both his BS in Civil Engineering and a master’s in architecture. After his military service, he plans to pursue his ultimate dream of designing and building beautiful homes.