Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of profiles on area students who recently were awarded platinum or gold scholarships through the Los Alamos Employees' Scholarship Fund. The current fund drive continues through Friday (June 16). Contributions to the scholarship fund can be made by going to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation Web page online.
Pojoaque native is Gold scholarship recipient
Technology and science; what a wonderful combination! So many great minds reaching new heights every day and discovering wonders that the world has to offer. Here, in Northern New Mexico a fresh young mind is waiting to start on a path of discovery.
“I want to be part of the next generation of technology achieving the impossible,” said Jose Castellano of Institutional Services and Outreach (ER-ISO), recipient of a 2006 Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation Gold scholarship through the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund.
Castellano, a recent graduate of Pojoaque High School, said he and his family were ecstatic when they discovered he was a recipient of a Gold scholarship. “It opened up many opportunities for the future,” said Castellano. “It was such a relief knowing that college expenses wouldn't be so great anymore and I could look forward to college more than worry about it. It was a great feeling of accomplishment.”
Castellano, who describes himself as a “nerd” when it comes to studying, said he has always been interested in problem solving and the art of building little gadgets. He looks forward to exploring those interests when he starts his undergraduate studies this fall at New Mexico State University, where he plans to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering and hopefully move on to earn a master’s degree at Georgia Tech.
“I hope to either work for NASA or the Department of Defense, although I just want to see what opportunities open up after college,” Castellano said.
Young Castellano is not only a brilliant mind, but also a musical talent. With his deep love for music, he can play 11 instruments and also is a member of Mariachi Differencia. “When I’m not working, I spend most of my time with music,” said Castellano. “I really love to draw and write poetry as well.”
Inspiration for Castellano comes from his parents, God, teachers and, as he puts it, “anyone who never gave up when it came to achieving their dreams and all those who believed in me.”
This soon-to-be undergrad also notes that working at Los Alamos has been a significant help. “It has been a great experience working for the Lab as a student. It has helped me to see how large government organizations operate and all the work that goes into making a large company run smoothly,” said Castellano. “It is nice to get a foot in the door because it helps with future employment opportunities.”
Castellano lives in Española with his parents, Lawrence Castellano of Testing and Advanced Diagnostics (WT-4) and Frances Castellano of High Performance Computing (HPC).
The Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund is administered by the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation. Seven different levels of scholarships are awarded, including platinum, gold, silver, bronze, turquoise, Hewlett-Packard and Leadership scholarships.
