UT Arlington College of Engineering
UT Arlington

Lisa Meredith - Destined for Success

 

Lisa Meredith almost didn’t make it to college. But when she did, she qualified for the Presidential Charter Scholarship, the most prestigious scholarship UT Arlington awards to entering freshmen.

Students receiving the Presidential Charter Scholarship must score 1400 on the SAT or 31 on the ACT, and be in the top 10 percent of their high school class or compiled a cumulative 3.5 GPA. It provides $6,000 per academic year and is renewable for four years.

Lisa was born in the small town of Buhi in the Philippines. Her mother is a native of the island nation, and her father is a U.S. citizen, born in Dallas. Her family moved to Hawaii when she was 3 but returned to the Philippines 10 years later. She graduated from St. Bridget’s High School, where they require only 10 years of pre-college schooling.

“I was offered full scholarships to two Filipino universities, but I wanted to live back in the United States. So I moved to Texas and attended school in Belton for my junior and senior year,” she said. “I graduated, got my second high school diploma and attempted to go to college.”
But she couldn’t apply for financial aid without her parents’ help.

“My parents were in the Philippines, and they were unable to get their information to me before the deadline,” she said. “Let’s just say I fell off the grid for five years, built a life for myself, got married and turned 23. My husband was the one who actually got me interested in college again.”

Lisa chose to attend UT Arlington because of its bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and master’s degree in systems engineering.

A previous job steered her toward industrial engineering. “I worked in a construction plant and I hated how inefficient they were,” she explained. “After a lot of research and whittling down my choices, I found that I would do well and probably truly enjoy systems engineering. So, I will pursue a master’s degree in systems engineering after getting my bachelor’s in industrial engineering.”

She and her husband live in Bedford and plan to move to Colorado after she completes her graduate degree. “I’m either going to work for a company or open my own consulting firm,” Lisa said.