Sophomore Diego Amaro Inaugural Recipient of the Tom Kline Scholarship

Last April, CECS alumnus and retired pharmaceutical executive Tom Kline established a scholarship for minority students pursuing engineering majors in the College.  One of the inaugural recipients of that award is sophomore Electrical Engineering Major Diego Amaro.

Born in Venezuela, Diego and his parents, Marianella and Jose, moved to the Nashville area as refugees when he was a preschooler. He graduated with honors from Hume-Fogg High School, and initially earned a UTC Work Scholarship to assist with his enrollment expenses. The in-state costs, class and total enrollment sizes, Chattanooga area recreational opportunities, and the South Campus Apartments were all factors in Diego’s decision to choose UTC as his post-secondary “home.” When asked if he “had it to do over again, would he come here?” – Diego affirmed that UTC and CECS are key components of a great “academic fit” for him.

Diego’s coordinates his work in the classroom and laboratory with membership in the student chapter of IEEE and work in the CECS Dean’s Office.  From a young age his curiosity about “how things work” led him to interests in building circuits and drawing. Since enrolling in the College’s Electrical Engineering Program, he has developed a particular focus on control systems, and may opt to pursue employment opportunities in that field after graduation. One of his favorite courses to date has been Introduction to 3D Modeling due to the technology’s innovative and practical application to a variety of fields.