Honors Link

Last summer, mechanical engineering sophomore Francisco Boschetti Tofano happily wore the free Summer Session T-shirt he received. He liked the design, color and, well, it was free. Then he learned the designer of the shirt was a student, and that the student earned a $1,000 scholarship for winning the design contest.

Fast forward to a few months ago when Francisco was beginning to plan out his summer courses where he hopes to get ahead in his classes and lessen his future workload.

He remembered the shirt that he still often wears and that the winner earned some tuition money. He thought, “Maybe that could be me.”

Turns out, he was right. Francisco’s “3 Months of Sun Fun” design was chosen by his peers as the winner of the 2016 Summer Session T-shirt Contest.

“Not only does this contest provide a great opportunity for students with graphic design experience to get out there and try something new, but also it helps with the financial side that so many people need help with,” he says.

The grand prize: a $1,000 scholarship toward campus-based summer courses in Corvallis or at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

“I was really happy to see that so many people liked my design,” he says. “I wanted Summer Session to have a nice design so I could get a nice T-shirt to wear during the summer, and luckily enough, I’ll get to wear my own.”

Each year, Summer Session hosts a T-shirt design contest where students submit a design and their peers vote for their favorite. The winner earns a $1,000 summer scholarship, while everyone else has a shot at winning a free T-shirt.

As an international student who came to Oregon State University from Caracas, Venezuela, financial assistance is always welcome.

Francisco’s T-shirt design depicts a sketch of Mt. Hood and a hammock between two pine trees, creating a true “Oregon” look.

“Higher education is expensive these days, and although we’re not able to help every student with tuition, we do all we can to ease the cost burden for our students. We’re happy that Summer Session is able to help Francisco with this tuition scholarship,” says OSU Summer Session Director Claire Cross. “We are delighted that so many students participated in this fun, engaging contest by contributing their artwork and their votes. The entries were impressive.”

“I feel really lucky and fortunate,” he says. “I try to do everything I can to help my parents pay for college. They are working hard to help me achieve my dreams, so it’s great to be able to help them out whenever I can.”

He’s well on his way to achieving his dreams of earning an education and being a continuous learner.

“Being able to come to college has allowed me to follow my passions of learning and growing, but none of it would be possible without the help of scholarships such as this one,” he says.

Francisco began his collegiate journey in fall 2014 after learning about Oregon State during a university fair in Caracas. “I found a lot of interest in what the university had to offer, not only academically, but also the location and environment.”

Since he first stepped foot on campus, he’s taken full advantage of offerings at Oregon State – volunteering as a DJ for the Oregon Media Network, playing for the OSU Club Baseball team, serving as an Engineering Student Council officer, participating in teams such as the Global Formula Racing in the College of Engineering and working as a resident assistant (RA) for University Housing & Dining Services.

“Oregon State has provided me with all sorts of resources and opportunities to learn and develop myself academically, personally and professionally,” he says. “That’s what I’ve liked most.”

This summer, Francisco plans to take electives that pique his interest, such as computer science courses.

“Summer classes are offered in different sessions, so there is an option for everyone,” he says. “And you can take advantage of the few months when there is no rain at Oregon State and have fun outside of the classroom as well.”

Following graduation, he hopes to find a job that allows him to travel, get to know the world and learn from different cultures.

“I have always dreamed of being able to travel everywhere, and I know that I have to work hard in college to achieve my goals,” he says.

This story was originally published by OSU Summer Session.