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Veteran students Nick Kuipers and Sammy Tesfai find community and opportunity at UCSC with tailored support and scholarships
November 08, 2024
By Tara Fatemi Walker
UC Santa Cruz welcomes military veterans as students. There are lots of resources to make the transition easier: a Veteran Benefits Services Office , a UCSC VETS program, and awards such as the Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship .
Nick Kuipers (Cowell ’24 electrical engineering) (M.A. ’26, electrical engineering) and Sammy Tesfai (’23, computer engineering) (M.A. ‘24, computer engineering) are two of several Bruce Lane Scholarship recipients this year. Currently graduate students, they both studied at UCSC as undergrads as well. They demonstrate how hard work, and the utilization of available resources can result in academic success.
Kuipers received his Bachelor’s in electrical engineering in spring 2024 and expects to receive his Master’s in electrical engineering in spring 2026. The Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship helped Kuipers finish his undergraduate degree by providing funds for his engineering thesis titled A Study of Ultra-Wideband Localization using Reverse Time-Difference of Arrival Principles.
“For my thesis, I built a system that uses specialized radio systems that allow for a robot to accurately keep track of its own location while moving around a space. The radios aren’t terribly cheap, and I needed six of them,” said Kuipers. The Bruce Lane Scholarship enabled him to get the necessary equipment.
Kuipers is grateful for the Bruce Lane scholarship. “As a college student, even with full VA benefits you have to be very budget-conscious, and every dollar helps,” he said. “The award allowed me to handle a large and necessary expense without having to cut back on essentials, which has been invaluable for my peace of mind, especially as I endured a pretty stressful final sprint for my thesis and last undergraduate courses.”
The Veterans Resource Center (VRC) at UCSC, and Veterans Program Coordinator Jerry Cabilatazan, have provided beneficial guidance. “Jerry is an excellent advocate as well as just a good advisor in general,” said Kuipers.
Kuipers is socially active in the veterans’ community, including with local organizations like Vets4Vets and the VFW. On campus, he enjoys the UCSC chapter of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) and even runs it.
“Our club recognizes how small a community us veterans are here,” said Kuipers. “We work to provide activities and opportunities to bring that community closer together. I’ve made quite a few good friends with veterans through this club and highly recommend other vets give it a try.”
The UC Santa Cruz Retirees Association is behind the Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship, which provides awards to veteran students. Namesake Bruce Lane worked for UCSC for 27 years as a project architect, educational facilities planner, and director of capital planning, and was an advocate for providing veterans with scholarships. He passed away in 2008. Maxine Lane, his widow, had a 22-year career at UCSC. Today, she continues to be actively involved with the scholarship and regularly helps fundraise for it—including selling some of the many succulents she grows. A scholarship for veteran students was first awarded about 15 years ago, and in 2012 it was named for Bruce Lane.
“I am honored that there are people like Maxine who work to support us veteran students,” Kuipers said. “I am endlessly thankful to her for all the work she’s tirelessly done for us for many years.”
UCSC faculty members have also positively impacted Kuipers. For the past couple years, he has worked with Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Steve McGuire, a former Marine pilot who specializes in human-aware robotics.
“He’s been an invaluable advisor, keeping me on track with my undergraduate journey and convincing me to stick around for a graduate degree,” said Kuipers. He also cites the influence of Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Stephen Petersen, who taught Kuipers “the difference between what it takes to be an engineering student and what it takes to be an engineer.”
“If I hadn’t met either of these men, I likely would have graduated with a communications degree,” Kuipers said.
Kuipers plans to work in defense research after earning his master’s degree.
Like Kuipers, Sammy Tesfai says the Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship played a key role in his undergraduate degree—specifically helping his senior design project, Automated Wagon, come to fruition.
“My project involved developing an automated wagon, requiring the purchase of various essential accessories and components,” Tesfai said. “With the scholarship funds, I was able to acquire equipment such as infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, motors, and wheels.” He also used a portion of the scholarship to cover the costs of AWS servers, which were used to conduct research hosting various applications.
“The Bruce Lane Scholarship was especially helpful to me because the GI Bill does not cover summer expenses, leaving me with limited personal funds due to the high rent costs in Santa Cruz,” said Tesfai. “It gave me the opportunity to focus on my academic goals without added financial stress.”
Vets4Vets also helped, with yearly scholarships that lessened the burden of living expenses and other costs, allowing him to focus on his studies. The STARS program helped in a similar way. Also, MESA gave him access to quiet, distraction-free study spaces.
“These were perfect when I needed to focus,” said Tesfai. “They also offered tutoring support from undergraduate peers, making it easier to tackle challenging coursework when needed.”
Tesfai, who earned a Bachelor’s in computer engineering in spring 2023 after transferring to UCSC in 2020, is currently earning a graduate degree in computer science and engineering and expects to finish in December 2024. He chose to attend UCSC because of the faculty and staff’s experience in their respective fields.
“I knew that the Baskin School of Engineering would be the best fit for me, and I was right.”
After being in academia for the last seven years, Tesfai looks forward to traveling for a little while after graduating before beginning work as a software engineer. He has learned a lot through his UCSC experiences, including realizing the importance of perseverance.
“Regardless of how tough times may be in your personal life or within the classroom, everything is going to be fine,” he said. “If you put in the effort, you will succeed.”
To help support the Bruce Lane Memorial Scholarship for military veteran students, visit UCSC’s Giving page, or email giving@ucsc.edu.
Last modified: November 8, 2024 162.241.226.16
