Hosanna Worku
From the STEAM Sports Foundation:
Seven female minority college students from throughout the U.S. have been awarded $5,000 scholarships by STEAM Sports Foundation to pursue their dreams to become engineers or technicians in the automotive and motorsports industry, including UGA’s very own Hosanna Worku.
As scholarship recipients, they will have the opportunity to apply for an internship at General Motors and participate in two Immersion Tours. Implemented a year ago, the foundation’s Immersion Tour provides a behind the scenes look at engineering at GM’s Technical & Research Centers in Concord, NC and Warren, MI. The center in North Carolina concentrates specifically on motorsports.
Hosanna Worku (University of Georgia) is a member of the university’s Formula SAE program where she has been the assistant frame lead. In addition, she has contributed to firewall, push arm, and fabrication with her team, and is proficient in softwares ranging from Anysys to Solidworks. A member of the National Society of Black Engineers, she is a Tucker (GA) High School graduate. There she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Technology Student Association and earned the Perfect Attendance award. She is a mechanical engineering major.
The following Q&A was featured in a September 9, 2024 newsletter from the STEAM Sports Foundation:
Name: Hosanna Worku
College: University of Georgia
Hometown: Tucker, GA
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Aspirational Car: 2005 Ford GT
10-Year Prediction in auto/motorsports: Working abroad
What You May Not Know About Me: I enjoy photography in my free time
How did you get so interested in the auto/motorsports industry?
I was raised watching my father fix cars. Seeing how he worked and calculated the perfect amount of risk inspired me to test the water in the automotive field.
What automotive aspect interests you the most?
When being on the frame team in Formula Society of Automotive Engineering, working in the machine shop was what I truly enjoyed the most. Taking your time and trusting the process to soon create something that the team relies on was fun to see unfold.
How do you approach the challenges of being a minority engineering student in what has been traditionally a non-minority career path?
I approach being a minority student engineering just as any engineering student. I make sure to challenge myself by attempting assignments or projects to promote growth, helping me become a better engineer. Over the years, I learned its most important for everyone’s voice to be heard regardless of background which can lead to the best possible outcome.
What would you like your first job/career opportunity to be?
I am very open to many diverse types of job opportunities. I enjoy most working hands-on whether that may be in a shop or 3D designing. I would also love to have a position where I get to socialize with other fellow engineers where I can improve my own skills and hopefully do the same for others.
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I would love to take the skills I learned from school and different job positions to help other countries improve in various ways. These improvements include automobile production and even producing different forms of infrastructures.
About STEAM Sports Foundation
Recognizing workforce and economic development as integral parts of corporate growth, STEAM Sports Foundation works with companies, educators and sports groups to develop initiatives around science, technology, engineering, arts and math that impact the world of sports & entertainment.
The foundation’s focus is on scholarships and career summits in an effort to help create tomorrow’s vibrant workforce. Its minority female scholarship program in motorsports and automotive engineering provides diversity to a transportation industry that is ever-changing via innovation and technology with individuals who traditionally did not consider these career paths simply because they saw few who looked like them in the industry.
