ECE Student Adam D’Souza Receives Scholarship

"After attending a small high school, I was drawn to the range of opportunities Rutgers presented.” – Adam D’Souza 

Established in 2019, by School of Engineering alumnus Ashok Sethu who earned a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering and his wife Yohavalli who graduated from Rutgers with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, the Ashok and Yohavalli Sethu annual Electrical and Computer Engineering Scholarship is awarded to full-time undergraduate or graduate students studying ECE.  

Sophomore Adam D’Souza, who was recently awarded a Sethu scholarship, is majoring in ECE and minoring in mathematics. He is active in several student organizations, including Rutgers Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (RIEEE), where he currently serves as the internal vice president, and the Rutgers Animation Club.  

Why Rutgers? 

I chose Rutgers because I wanted to attend a college w

ith as many opportunities as possible. There is a plethora of clubs and student organizations to invest time into, and the School of Engineering has a wide variety of professors conducting research to study and learn from. After attending a small high school, I was drawn to the range of opportunities Rutgers presented. 

Why ECE? 

I decided on ECE because of my interest in electronics and robotics. After looking at the ECE curriculum, I was intrigued by the classes that offer a high-level dive into these topics. 

What does the Sethu ECE Scholarship mean to you? 

The scholarship award feels like a validation of the hard work and effort I have put in at Rutgers. I'm honored that I have been chosen for this distinction, and I will use it as a motivator to keep working my hardest and striving for excellence. 

So far, what has most excited you about your Rutgers Engineering education? 

I’m excited to start taking departmental electives in the ECE program. After completing intro courses, I want to gain experience with more challenging engineering problems and more complex hardware. 

What do you most enjoy about your extracurricular activities? 

I love being part of both Rutgers IEEE and Rutgers Animation Club. Both clubs have been great for my personal development in different ways.  

RIEEE has given me both technical and leadership experience, as I participate as a member of the robotics team and maintain a position on the club board.  

RU Animation gives me a chance to be creative and hone my skills as an artist – I draw digitally using Procreate on my iPad and am still exploring different sketching and painting styles. I’ve also helped produce a short, animated film with other club members. 

What’s your advice for incoming students? 

Research each engineering discipline and talk to other students. I only realized I wanted to be an electrical engineer after hearing their experiences and researching each curriculum.