An LTU civil engineering major from Frankenmuth has received a $15,000 scholarship from Morrissey Goodale, a Natick, Mass.-based provider of business services to engineering and architecture firms.
Ella Smith, who is carrying a 3.9-plus grade point average at LTU, was named winner of the Morrissey Goodale Diversity in STEM Scholarship, part of the American Council of Engineering Companies Research Institute’s scholarship program.
“The entire coast-to-coast Morrissey Goodale team is thrilled to once again fund the two highest-dollar-value individual scholarships—$15,000 each—for these terrific students,” said Mick Morrissey, co-founder and managing principal of Morrissey Goodale.
Smith said she chose to attend LTU because it was relatively close to home and allowed her to pursue golf—she has played varsity golf on LTU’s team all four years of college. She said she was so surprised to win the scholarship that she sent a copy of the email to her mother, who assured Smith that the scholarship award was real. “I was really excited,” she said.
Mike Carragher, chair of the ACEC Research Institute, highlighted the importance of these scholarships in encouraging the next generation of engineers. “The ACEC Research Institute is committed to supporting students who are passionate about engineering but may face financial challenges,” he said. “By providing these scholarships, we are investing in the future of our profession and ensuring that talented individuals are empowered to pursue their dreams.”
The ACEC scholarships are given to students who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, and a dedication to the field of engineering. This initiative is part of the ACEC Research Institute’s broader effort to address the current shortage of engineers that are critically needed to solve complex challenges. In total, the ACEC Research Institute provided nearly $700,000 to 97 deserving students this year.
Morrissey Goodale provides architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting companies with business planning, mergers and acquisition advisory, valuation and ownership transition, market research, marketing and business development, leadership training and development, organizational development and management, virtual reality, and executive search.
At LTU, Smith has worked as a senior staff assistant at the Student Success Center and a researcher in the LTU mathematics department. She was also a water resources intern engineer at Spicer Group in Saginaw in the summers of 2023 and 2024.
She was also president of the LTU student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2023 and 2024 and is currently the secretary and was elected captain of the LTU ASCE Concrete Canoe Team for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 academic years. She is also vice president of programming at LTU’s Chi Omega Rho sorority, which includes organizing a scholarship golf outing, selecting scholarship recipients, and volunteering at charity events for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Ronald McDonald Houses.
Smith was also active in Frankenmuth and Saginaw County community and church volunteer roles before attending LTU.
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