Loren and Shaw Ottis with their three children |
Image: Courtesy of Shaw Ottis
Loren and Shaw Ottis ’00 have established the Loren and Shaw Ottis ’00 Chemical Engineering Endowed Scholarship. Distributions from their generous endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.
Shaw’s path to Texas A&M started in the fields surrounding his hometown in Southeast Texas. His family was in the farming industry, and he spent several summers growing up helping in the rice fields. “The agricultural roots of Texas A&M, combined with its superior engineering program, were a great match for my background and academic interests coming out of high school,” he said.
During much of his first few years of college, Shaw worked full time during the summers and part time during the semesters in order to help pay for his education. “I was very fortunate that my parents were able to contribute to my college education, but, like parents of many college students, there was only so much financial support they could provide,” he said. “And, upper-level chemical engineering classes do not make it easy to both work part time and stay on top of your studies, so I made the decision to commit full time to school during my last few semesters.
“As I was getting to the point that I needed to take out student loans to complete my degree, the department offered me several scholarships that allowed me to complete school without needing student loans. Now it is my turn to give back, so that future students can get the same help that was so important to me at the time.”
It was the College of Engineering’s commitment to Shaw in the later years of his collegiate career that provided the motivation to establish this scholarship. “It was a debt that I had to pay back, as well as an opportunity to help students that may be in similar situations as I was. I really appreciated Dr. Charles Glover looking out for scholarship opportunities for me during my junior and senior years, and I’m sure that future professors in the department will find great students that our scholarship can help as I was helped,” Shaw said.
Texas A&M continues to impact Shaw’s career immensely. “The spirit of the university has stayed with me throughout my career,” he said. “It was an honor graduate from A&M, and I feel a personal and professional responsibility to protect and grow A&M’s reputation.”
Loren and Shaw have three sons, ages 12, 10 and 5, who they hope will add to their family’s Aggie legacy. Shaw comes from a long line of Aggies including his grandfather Frank W. Perrin '40, his brother Brian '98, as well as many cousins, uncles, in-laws and other extended family members. Shaw currently works at Freeport LNG as vice president and deputy general counsel and his family resides in Houston, Texas.
Shaw’s path to Texas A&M started in the fields surrounding his hometown in Southeast Texas. His family was in the farming industry, and he spent several summers growing up helping in the rice fields. “The agricultural roots of Texas A&M, combined with its superior engineering program, were a great match for my background and academic interests coming out of high school,” he said.
During much of his first few years of college, Shaw worked full time during the summers and part time during the semesters in order to help pay for his education. “I was very fortunate that my parents were able to contribute to my college education, but, like parents of many college students, there was only so much financial support they could provide,” he said. “And, upper-level chemical engineering classes do not make it easy to both work part time and stay on top of your studies, so I made the decision to commit full time to school during my last few semesters.
“As I was getting to the point that I needed to take out student loans to complete my degree, the department offered me several scholarships that allowed me to complete school without needing student loans. Now it is my turn to give back, so that future students can get the same help that was so important to me at the time.”
It was the College of Engineering’s commitment to Shaw in the later years of his collegiate career that provided the motivation to establish this scholarship. “It was a debt that I had to pay back, as well as an opportunity to help students that may be in similar situations as I was. I really appreciated Dr. Charles Glover looking out for scholarship opportunities for me during my junior and senior years, and I’m sure that future professors in the department will find great students that our scholarship can help as I was helped,” Shaw said.
Texas A&M continues to impact Shaw’s career immensely. “The spirit of the university has stayed with me throughout my career,” he said. “It was an honor graduate from A&M, and I feel a personal and professional responsibility to protect and grow A&M’s reputation.”
Loren and Shaw have three sons, ages 12, 10 and 5, who they hope will add to their family’s Aggie legacy. Shaw comes from a long line of Aggies including his grandfather Frank W. Perrin '40, his brother Brian '98, as well as many cousins, uncles, in-laws and other extended family members. Shaw currently works at Freeport LNG as vice president and deputy general counsel and his family resides in Houston, Texas.
Giving with a purpose
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 and its departments or would like more information on how you can give, please contact Haley Jennings, director of development.