BASF recently awarded $5,000 in scholarships to two engineering students at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La.

This is the fifth year BASF has provided annual scholarships to students as part of the company’s education outreach and workforce development efforts.

“BASF is committed to supporting the growth and success of local students interested in pursuing careers in our industry, “said Tom Yura, SVP and GM of the BASF site in Geismar, La. “BASF scholarships provide students the incentive to excel in their education and move closer to their goal of becoming engineers.”

Each student received a $2,500 scholarship from BASF based on criteria that included maintaining excellent grade-point averages and being active in campus and community organizations.

Scholarship winners are Khadijah Ahmad and Rayda Lathon. 

Ahmad is a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Dayton, Ohio. In addition to being a scholar-athlete playing forward and defender on the Southern University Jaguars soccer team, she is a scholar of the Honors College, Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation and the College of Sciences and Engineering. Ahmad holds membership in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). She volunteers mentoring and teaching children soccer basics and fundamental skills.

Lathon is a junior mechanical engineering major from St. Louis, Miss. She is a scholar of the Honors College, the Louisiana Collegiate Honors Council, Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation and the College of Sciences and Engineering. Lathon is also an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and serves as President of the Southern University Chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). During the summer of 2017, she completed a Research Internship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Louisiana State University. She volunteers with the Baton Rouge Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity with the Women Build Program.

“Congratulations to our BASF scholarship winners,” said Southern University President-Chancellor Dr. Ray L. Belton. “Assistance from our corporate partners such as BASF allows us to continue mentoring students and helps address the historical under-representation of minorities in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

BASF’s manufacturing presence near Southern University includes facilities in Geismar (including the corporation’s largest site in North America), Zachary and Vidalia. These sites employ a workforce of nearly 2,000 people and invest approximately $300 million in Louisiana through annual payroll, purchases, taxes and charitable contributions.




Pictured: Khadijah Ahmad (left), Rayda Lathon (right)/Photos courtesy BASF