^{Forward Impact Report 2020-21  > Fueling Ohio's STEM talent pipeline}

Receiving the Honda Scholarship cemented Jackson Goodall’s decision to become a Buckeye engineer. Providing more than $2.3 million in support since 2005, the scholarship helps attract top STEM students to The Ohio State University and boosts interest statewide in engineering and other high-tech careers.

“I was counting pennies deciding between Ohio State and another school, so it did impact my decision,” said the second-year industrial and systems engineering honors student, who is self-financing his education. “Because of this scholarship, combined with others, I don't think I'll have to take out a loan before I graduate. That makes me really happy and it'll put me a few steps ahead.”

The Honda Scholarship has supported more than 275 students since its inception in 2005 and is the largest donor-funded scholarship in the College of Engineering in terms of dollars awarded. Awardees receive $3,000 per year for up to four years, provided they maintain a 3.2 GPA.

The scholarship is sustained through an endowment established by the Honda – Ohio State Partnership, a unique collaboration between Ohio State and Honda that supports initiatives in education, research and public service. Honda has donated more than $68 million to Ohio State throughout the 20-year relationship, funding students, faculty and programs.

In addition to financial support, the Honda Scholars Program provides professional development and networking opportunities. During three annual meetings, students hear from professionals from Honda and Ohio State, visit research labs and other facilities, and receive career search coaching. Scholars can also apply for internships and co-ops, and get involved with collaborative projects at Honda and the university.

“I’m happy that it's an actual program because of the faculty that I've been able to speak with and the connections I've been able to make,” shared Goodall. “It's also been interesting to be able to hear about professional experiences. I value talking to people who are only a few years older than me and hearing about what those young professionals are doing.”

Being a Honda Scholar also exposed Goodall to other campus opportunities, like OnRamp, a corporate innovation idea accelerator driven by Ohio State students. Goodall’s team earned second place in an OnRamp Innovation Sprint focused on how to make Ohio State’s campus carbon neutral by 2050. Last spring he worked on an industry-sponsored, six-week Technology Push to generate business concepts and use cases for second-life electric vehicle batteries.

“It was really interesting and I enjoyed my whole experience with OnRamp,” he said. “I learned how important effective communication skills are within a team environment, how to better contribute towards team projects and how to help incentivize the creation of new, innovative ideas.”

After expanding in 2018, the Honda Scholarship now supports up to 120 undergraduates per year. In addition to the 20 scholarships awarded annually to first-year College of Engineering students, the program provides 10 scholarships to STEM majors in the Fisher College of Business, and College of Arts and Sciences.

To be eligible to apply for a Honda Scholarship, a student must be a recipient of a Honda – Ohio State STEM Award, formerly known as a Honda Math Medal. Each year Ohio high schools in Honda’s primary counties of engagement are invited to select their best junior STEM scholar to receive the annual award, which has been presented to 2,983 students since 2005.

“Coupled with a strong Honda Scholars Program that focuses on professional development and undergraduate research opportunities, the Honda – Ohio State STEM Award has been effective in attracting hundreds of excellent high school seniors to pursue STEM majors at Ohio State,” said Marianne Weber, the university’s award administrator.

Receiving the Honda Scholarship also impacted Nisha Iyer’s decision to attend Ohio State.

“When I heard I got this scholarship, it pushed me more towards Ohio State,” the third-year chemical engineering major said. “Because I could see that they wanted me not just for the other things that I had, but they were also seeing me as a person who could go further in engineering.”

The program not only broadened Iyer’s knowledge of the research and other opportunities the university offers, but it has also exposed her to new career possibilities.

“Especially with COVID, it's helped me get access to what engineering looks like in the outside world, with the different talks that they have every semester,” she explained. “I've really enjoyed that and it's helped me see that there are multiple different avenues that I can take within not just my field of engineering, but engineering as a whole.”

For some Honda Scholars, the right avenue for their future career leads straight to Honda.

"The STEM award greatly impacted my career,” said Ryan Girard, a welding engineer from Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, LLC. “It provided me connections and a community of other STEM students to interact with. It not only cemented my decision to go into engineering at Ohio State, but it drove me to join the Honda family! I've been with Honda for five years now and I don’t have any plans of leaving. I owe a lot to the STEM award."