Jacqueline and Paul A. Pirkle's scholarship will support students in the College of Engineering |
Image: Contributed by Jacqueline and Paul A. Pirkle
Jacqueline and Paul A. Pirkle ’97 have established the Thomas and Shirley Pirkle Scholarship. This endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Growing up with strong ties to The University of Texas through his parents, Paul surprised everyone when he decided to attend Texas A&M. “When I visited the A&M campus during my high school senior year, I knew that Aggieland was where I wanted and needed to be. I bought an A&M baseball cap that day, and I can still remember the shock on my dad's face when he first saw me with that cap on my head, but my parents always supported my decision,” Paul said.
Paul said that his time at Texas A&M was instrumental in making him who he is today. “Attending Texas A&M taught me to work on my weaknesses. When I came to Texas A&M, I really had to focus on becoming more outgoing and gain confidence in communication and building new relationships,” he said. “Those skills have been critical to my professional success as an engineer, and I continue to work on my weaknesses today in order to continually improve in my job and life.”
Paul and Jacqueline hope that their scholarship will encourage students to attend Texas A&M and study engineering. Paul said, “My hope is that the scholarship can help nudge students from small towns toward the opportunity that Aggie engineering represents when they might be intimidated, or be otherwise pushed toward some other opportunity that can't match A&M engineering.
“If it can provide one student with the assistance that they need to chase this amazing opportunity and make it a reality, then this gift will have been a great success,” Paul said. “We have been blessed in ways that I could have never imagined. Our gift is out of a sense of gratitude to Texas A&M and my parents for everything that both have done to be a positive influence on my life.”
Growing up with strong ties to The University of Texas through his parents, Paul surprised everyone when he decided to attend Texas A&M. “When I visited the A&M campus during my high school senior year, I knew that Aggieland was where I wanted and needed to be. I bought an A&M baseball cap that day, and I can still remember the shock on my dad's face when he first saw me with that cap on my head, but my parents always supported my decision,” Paul said.
Paul said that his time at Texas A&M was instrumental in making him who he is today. “Attending Texas A&M taught me to work on my weaknesses. When I came to Texas A&M, I really had to focus on becoming more outgoing and gain confidence in communication and building new relationships,” he said. “Those skills have been critical to my professional success as an engineer, and I continue to work on my weaknesses today in order to continually improve in my job and life.”
Paul and Jacqueline hope that their scholarship will encourage students to attend Texas A&M and study engineering. Paul said, “My hope is that the scholarship can help nudge students from small towns toward the opportunity that Aggie engineering represents when they might be intimidated, or be otherwise pushed toward some other opportunity that can't match A&M engineering.
“If it can provide one student with the assistance that they need to chase this amazing opportunity and make it a reality, then this gift will have been a great success,” Paul said. “We have been blessed in ways that I could have never imagined. Our gift is out of a sense of gratitude to Texas A&M and my parents for everything that both have done to be a positive influence on my life.”
How to Give
The College of Engineering is one of the leading engineering programs in the United States, ranking first in undergraduate enrollment and ninth in graduate enrollment. Endowments supporting the students in the college have an immeasurable impact on their education. If you are interested in supporting the College of Engineering or would like more information on how you can give, please contact True Brown, senior director of development.