Camille Camarata '19, Taylor Butler '19, Phoebe Ho-Stone '19, Tracy Ike '19 and Carrie Sistrunk '19 reunite through Zoom. |
Image: Courtesy of Phoebe Ho-Stone
Camille Camarata '19 has established the Class of '19 PETE Ladies' Scholarship — Honoring Women in Petroleum Engineering. Distributions from this endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students pursuing an undergraduate degree in petroleum engineering at Texas A&M University. Classmates Taylor Butler '19, Tracy Ike '19, Carrie Sistrunk '19 and Phoebe Ho-Stone '19 have also contributed to this endowment.
Camarata said she was born bleeding maroon. “My father, Joseph Camarata Jr. '78, exposed my brothers and me at an early age to the spirit of Aggieland,” she said. “My brother, Joseph Camarata III '15, started at Texas A&M when I was a freshman in high school, so I got four exciting years of being a sister to a member of the pride of Aggieland and the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band before I even attended school in College Station.”
In high school, Camarata decided that she wanted to be a petroleum engineer and said that narrowed down her choices of universities. “After looking at multiple universities, I knew Texas A&M was the school for me,” she said. “Not only was the petroleum engineering department world class, the people in Aggieland were welcoming, proud and a whole lot of fun!”
Camarata noted that a large percentage of the energy industry was built on, and still operates today because of, Aggie engineers. “The education that I received at Texas A&M has given me a huge leg up on my colleagues from other universities,” she said. “I noticed it especially in early-career training sessions, where I was able to hit the ground running due the practical coursework that was offer at A&M.”
Camarata said that she felt very fortunate to have scholarships while at Texas A&M. “I would not have been able to afford paying for my own education without the help of scholarships,” she said. “I want to pay it forward.”
“I hope that this gift will serve as both financial support and as a mentorship opportunity for a young female engineer,” she continued. “I want to share the advice and guidance that was given to me while I was a student to help another person succeed.”
Butler hopes this gift will help the next generation of women petroleum engineers create lifelong relationships and connect the class of 2019 to the future of women in engineering.
“Contributing to the Class of '19 PETE Ladies’ Scholarship is something that I hope will inspire and build confidence in women looking to enter the energy industry,” Butler said. “I have seen first-hand what a scholarship can mean to someone, and I believe this scholarship, in particular, has the ability to be truly impactful to young women studying petroleum engineering.”
Likewise, Ho-Stone’s hope is that this gift lightens the financial burden, enabling its recipients to focus wholeheartedly on their education and experience at Texas A&M. “I want the recipients to know that despite the tumultuous year we had in 2020, there is great potential in our field,” she said. “We are excited for the future of our industry and hope that they choose to be part of it with us.”
During Ho-Stone’s time as a student in the department from 2016-19 she said that she, along with other female students, found themselves consistently outnumbered on teams and in classrooms. “However, we had each other to lean on,” she said. “Even now, I find that there is an indescribable, immediate bond with the women around me in the industry.
“We share an understanding of what it is like to work in a male-dominated field,” she continued. “It is important now for me to contribute to the scholarship because I have the capacity to do so, but also because I'd like to support more women in their pursuit of a career in our industry.”
This endowment is founded and funded by female petroleum engineers. Their ultimate goal is to inspire young women to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering and to have more female engineers work in the oil and gas industry. “Our class had such a small percentage of women, but they were the most driven, intelligent and confident people in the group,” Camarata said. “Our industry and the world will benefit from having these women, and more women in general, as our future leaders.”
Camarata said she was born bleeding maroon. “My father, Joseph Camarata Jr. '78, exposed my brothers and me at an early age to the spirit of Aggieland,” she said. “My brother, Joseph Camarata III '15, started at Texas A&M when I was a freshman in high school, so I got four exciting years of being a sister to a member of the pride of Aggieland and the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band before I even attended school in College Station.”
In high school, Camarata decided that she wanted to be a petroleum engineer and said that narrowed down her choices of universities. “After looking at multiple universities, I knew Texas A&M was the school for me,” she said. “Not only was the petroleum engineering department world class, the people in Aggieland were welcoming, proud and a whole lot of fun!”
Camarata noted that a large percentage of the energy industry was built on, and still operates today because of, Aggie engineers. “The education that I received at Texas A&M has given me a huge leg up on my colleagues from other universities,” she said. “I noticed it especially in early-career training sessions, where I was able to hit the ground running due the practical coursework that was offer at A&M.”
Camarata said that she felt very fortunate to have scholarships while at Texas A&M. “I would not have been able to afford paying for my own education without the help of scholarships,” she said. “I want to pay it forward.”
“I hope that this gift will serve as both financial support and as a mentorship opportunity for a young female engineer,” she continued. “I want to share the advice and guidance that was given to me while I was a student to help another person succeed.”
Butler hopes this gift will help the next generation of women petroleum engineers create lifelong relationships and connect the class of 2019 to the future of women in engineering.
“Contributing to the Class of '19 PETE Ladies’ Scholarship is something that I hope will inspire and build confidence in women looking to enter the energy industry,” Butler said. “I have seen first-hand what a scholarship can mean to someone, and I believe this scholarship, in particular, has the ability to be truly impactful to young women studying petroleum engineering.”
Likewise, Ho-Stone’s hope is that this gift lightens the financial burden, enabling its recipients to focus wholeheartedly on their education and experience at Texas A&M. “I want the recipients to know that despite the tumultuous year we had in 2020, there is great potential in our field,” she said. “We are excited for the future of our industry and hope that they choose to be part of it with us.”
During Ho-Stone’s time as a student in the department from 2016-19 she said that she, along with other female students, found themselves consistently outnumbered on teams and in classrooms. “However, we had each other to lean on,” she said. “Even now, I find that there is an indescribable, immediate bond with the women around me in the industry.
“We share an understanding of what it is like to work in a male-dominated field,” she continued. “It is important now for me to contribute to the scholarship because I have the capacity to do so, but also because I'd like to support more women in their pursuit of a career in our industry.”
This endowment is founded and funded by female petroleum engineers. Their ultimate goal is to inspire young women to pursue a degree in petroleum engineering and to have more female engineers work in the oil and gas industry. “Our class had such a small percentage of women, but they were the most driven, intelligent and confident people in the group,” Camarata said. “Our industry and the world will benefit from having these women, and more women in general, as our future leaders.”
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 and its departments or would like more information on how you can give, please contact Kelly Corcoran, senior director of development.