Delina’s Scholarship Story

Finding Impact Through Opportunity

For Delina Tewelde, a freshman environmental engineering student, choosing a major wasn’t just about picking a career path — it was about building a future where her values and curiosity could work together.

“I wanted to go into a field that would help others in a real way,” she said. “Engineering was the best way for me to do that.”

Delina has always been driven by a desire to serve, to understand the systems that shape people’s lives, and to be part of improving them. From a young age, she recognized the ways communities are affected by everything from infrastructure gaps to natural disasters, and she saw how those challenges can leave lasting impacts. At LSU, she’s found a place where her ambitions can grow, thanks in large part to scholarship support that’s opened doors and lifted financial concerns.

Her path to LSU was guided not only by academic ambition, but also by a deeply rooted sense of purpose shaped by her family, culture, and community. Born in New Orleans to Eritrean immigrants, she said she grew up with a strong foundation of resilience and perseverance — values that continue to shape how she approaches every challenge. “I’ve had to work for everything I have, and I don’t take anything for granted.”

Delina said financial support from scholarships has made it possible for her to be fully present not only in the classroom, but across campus and beyond. She is the recipient of the Beau and Natalie Fournet Honors Opportunity Scholarship, the Shell Honors Student Leadership Program Fund, and the Patricia Reso Freitag Scholarship for Public Good.

“They’ve given me opportunities I never thought I’d be able to get,” she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

In both the Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College and the College of Engineering, Delina has found spaces that foster academic challenge alongside personal growth. She’s learned to view leadership as something more than titles or public speaking. For her, leadership is about impact.

She said the programs she’s experienced through these scholarships “emphasize being a leader in your community, someone that people can rely on, and someone that genuinely cares about making change.”

That commitment to meaningful change, Delina said, is what motivates her the most. Whether she’s thinking about water systems, pollution, or how to better protect towns from extreme weather, she frames her engineering goals around “real people and real problems.”