2015-2016 Raymond E. Plotkin Scholarship Recipient Announced:

Tatum Tracy

The 6th recipient of the Raymond E. Plotkin Scholarship in the UNM School of Engineering is Tatum Tracy. She is currently a freshman student in Engineering and a graduate from Valley High School in Sanders, Arizona. Tatum is a General Engineering student, currently taking courses towards a Mechanical Engineering degree and her focus is Aerospace Engineering.  She dreams of someday to be able to work with airplanes and their structure.  She shares a passion for becoming an engineer similar to her role model, Mary Golda Ross, the first Native American engineer. Tatum is a Native American student and is very proud of being full-blooded Navajo.  She wants to give back to her Native American community and become a role model to other Navajo girls.  Tatum came to UNM attracted by its research and the fact that she has family attending UNM that offer her a great support system .

The Raymond E. Plotkin Scholarship was created by the parents, extended family, friends and fellow peers of Raymond Evan Plotkin to honor his life, his very positive relationship with the University of New Mexico and his potential interest in pursuing a career related to Nuclear Engineering. Raymond was a graduate from Westbury High School in Houston, Texas. Upon arrival at UNM as an incoming freshman, he became a member of the Hispanic Engineering and Science Organization (HESO) and the Hillel at the University of New Mexico. Sadly, Raymond passed away in the fall of 2009, first semester of his freshmen year due to complications resulting from the H1N1‑Swine Flu.

The Raymond E. Plotkin Scholarship is endowed; only the interest on the fund is awarded each year so that the scholarship can be awarded in perpetuity. Future donations to the fund will be added to the principle and increase the amount awarded each year. Donations to the fund should be made payable to the UNM Foundation (memo: Raymond Plotkin Scholarship in the School of Engineering). The annual deadline for the Raymond E. Plotkin Scholarship is September 15. For further information about the scholarship or how to apply, contact the UNM School of Engineering Scholarship Administrator at elsac@unm.edu, call (505) 277‑5064 or visit the SOE Scholarship website at http://www.unm.edu/~soeschol/freshman.html.

In addition to the scholarship, Raymond’s family established through the UNM Student Health and Counseling Center (SHAC) the “Take One for Raymond” initiative, to encourage everyone to get their flu shots. FLU SHOT CLINICS @ SUB INFORMATION: SHAC will offer free flu shots for UNM students, staff and faculty (anyone 18 years old and older), on Monday, October 26, 2015; Tuesday, October 27, 2015; Monday, November 2, 2015 and Tuesday, November 3, 2015 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at the SUB Atrium. For information, call the SHAC Immunization Clinic at 277‑7925.