Two Engineering Students Awarded Beaver Water District Scholarships

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From left: Alan D. Fortenberry P.E., CEO of Beaver Water District; Stephanie Maxwell; Andrew Stephens; Julia Allen; Chris Weiser, Vice President, Beaver Water District Board of Directors; Larry Lloyd P.E., COO, Beaver Water District.

Stephanie Maxwell, a senior majoring in civil engineering; Andrew Stephens, a sophomore majoring in biological and agricultural engineering; and Julia Allen, a senior majoring in crop, soil and environmental science, were recently awarded Beaver Water District Steele-Croxton Memorial Scholarships. This year marks the second year in a row for Maxwell to receive the scholarship.

“Because of this scholarship, I have been able to focus on my academics rather than putting school secondary to work and worrying about debt accumulating,” Maxwell said.

The scholarship, funded through voluntary contributions by Beaver Water District Board members and other interested individuals and organizations, is named for the late Joe M. Steele and the late Hardy W. Croxton, leaders and past board members. The Memorial Scholarship Fund provides support to qualified students within the U of A’s College of Engineering and Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. The scholarship’s aim is to support students studying and exploring careers related to water.

“My interest was peaked in careers related to water after a visit to the Hoover Dam,” Maxwell said. “The magnitude of this hydroelectric dam was amazing.”

“I’ve known for a long time that I would someday be working to help the environment, particularly related to water,” Stephens said. “In college I’m learning many things that I will eventually use to solve real-world problems dealing with our environment and water.”

Beaver Water District supplies drinking water from its abundant storage in Beaver Lake to Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville. These cities then resell the water to nearby towns and communities. The District’s mission is to serve customers’ needs by providing high quality drinking water that meets or exceeds all regulatory requirements and is economically priced consistent with the District’s quality standards. For more information, visit www.bwdh2o.org.