Receiving $28,000 dollars in scholarships for her academic excellence, senior Meghan O’Connell plans to use the money to continue her record of achievement.

Meghan is in her second year of the pre-engineering program at the Red River Technology Center. Meghan attends the program in the morning and then takes classes at the high school in the afternoon.

“My parents are both engineers, so they have really inspired me and influenced my decision on a career path,” O’Connell said.

Meghan comes from a very large family—she is one of seven sisters. She will be the third O’Connell sister to study engineering.

Meghan plans on putting her scholarships toward attending Oklahoma State University to continue studying engineering with a focus on architectural engineering.

O’Connell has put her focus on academics during her high school career and it has paid off. She made a score of 30, out of possible 36, on her ACT and she has a 3.95 grade point average. Meghan is also a member of the National Honor Society.

High school science teacher Jennifer Lehman said that Meghan’s academic drive has set her on a path to success.

“Given the success Meghan has achieved in the pre-engineering program and other advanced science courses, she has a bright future as an architectural engineer,” Lehman said.

Meghan’s classmates recognize that she has been focused on her academic career as well.

“Meghan is really talented. She has always done really well in school. I’m glad I’m rooming with her in college!” senior Alex Whaley said.

All of O’Connell’s hard work has certainly paid off as she will receive the prestigious Oklahoma State University Distinguished Regents award for $10,000 as well as the OSU CEAT (College of Engineering Architecture Technology) award for another $10,000.

She also won an award from the National Rural Water Association for $8,000 over four years.

All of these scholarships will help Meghan pursue her engineering plans at Oklahoma State University. She is the daughter of Bill and Lisa O’Connell.