We’re excited to announce that the 2025 ASCE Richmond Branch Scholarships have been successfully awarded! This year, we received numerous outstanding applications from students at universities across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Two students, Abby Silvis and Grace Perry were selected to receive $1,000 scholarships in recognition of their academic achievement and dedication to civil engineering. The selection process was highly competitive, and we sincerely thank the ASCE member volunteers who generously dedicated their time to review applications. Their thoughtful evaluations were crucial in selecting this year’s recipients.
In addition, we are proud to announce a third scholarship awarded through the ASCE Richmond Branch’s High School Mentorship program during the 2024-2025 academic year, which was awarded in recognition of early interest in civil engineering. This year’s mentorship scholarship was awarded to Sarah Douglewicz, a remarkable student who has shown exceptional initiative, leadership, and academic curiosity throughout the 2024–2025 academic year.
We are incredibly proud of all three of our 2025 scholarship recipients. Here’s a summary of each of these exceptional students, including some information about their backgrounds and aspirations.
Abby Silvis
Abby Silvis is a senior studying civil engineering at Virginia Tech with a specialization in water resources engineering. Her interest in water resources, combined with her desire to make a meaningful impact on communities, motivates her to address the challenge of sustainable water management. As an undergraduate, she has completed an internship at Newport News Shipbuilding and is currently interning at Dewberry. At Virginia Tech, she serves as the tutoring coordinator for Chi Epsilon, is an active member of ASCE, and is a member of the Virginia Tech Campus Band. Upon graduation, she intends to further her studies by pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering.
Grace Perry
Grace Perry is a civil engineering student at the University of Virginia with a growing passion for transportation and traffic engineering. In addition to serving as UVA ASCE’s secretary, she enjoys her role as an engineering school tour guide, her local serving job, and other social involvements. After graduation, she hopes to obtain her EIT certification and work to improve public transportation infrastructure in underdeveloped regions
Sarah Douglewicz
Sarah Douglewicz graduated from Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School this past spring and will be attending the University of Virginia in the fall for Engineering. Throughout the past year, she was mentored by members of the American Society of Civil Engineers and plans to be involved in ASCE throughout college. In the future, Sarah hopes to become a civil engineer with a focus on stormwater engineering.