Partly cloudy skies. Low 63F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: September 23, 2025 @ 11:32 pm
Established in 2024 by Dan and Barbara Pleasant, natives of Caswell and Person counties respectively, the full tuition scholarship to NC State University is available to aspiring engineering students from Caswell and Person counties. Receiving the scholarships this year are Jon Durand and Braydon Boaz.
“Both are outstanding young men that understand the value of an education and more specifically the value of an engineering education. They are active in civic and professional organizations sharing and giving back to their respective communities. Barbara and I could not be more proud of the two recipients of our scholarships,” says Dan.
Recipient Jon Durand is 19 years old and from Roxboro. He graduated from Roxboro Community School and did dual enrollment with PCC, and is now a sophomore at NC State studying Construction Engineering. His parents are Ben and Betsy Durand, and he has three brothers: AJ, Jesse, and Josh. “I first heard about the Dan and Barbara Pleasant Scholarship through my local newspaper, the Roxboro Courier-Times. I was very surprised to receive it, since I thought I wasn’t eligible after not getting it my freshman year, and my parents were also surprised and very grateful,” he explains. “The scholarship covers my tuition, fees, and books for the 2025–2026 school year and I’m deeply thankful to Mr. and Mrs. Pleasant for their generosity in supporting my education. It helps me focus on schoolwork more and it is super neat for the scholarship to be coming from a donor close to home. After finishing my degree, I plan to work in the Civil/Construction industry, ideally managing projects. My long-term goal is to earn my PE license and potentially start my own company.”
Recipient Braydon Boaz, who received the scholarship last year, has continued to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering at NC State. He currently has a 3.2 GPA with the expected graduation date of May 2027. This past summer he completed a Project Management Internship with Crowder Construction Company in Mebane where he supported both field and office operations, worked with subcontractors and vendors, performed material takeoffs, created project logs, supervised concrete pours, and helped maintain quality and safety compliance. “The experience gave me a great deal of hands-on exposure to construction management and reinforced my interest in pursuing a career in this field,” he says.
At NC State he’s also in the Associated General Contractors (AGC) Student Chapter, where he has participated in site walks, engaged with industry professionals, and learned more about construction project delivery and safety. “With AGC I also participated in NC State’s Shack-A-Thon. This event helped raise funds for Habitat for Humanity,” he adds. “Looking ahead, my goal is to earn my Professional Engineer license after graduation and eventually return to Caswell County to establish my own construction business and continue giving back to my community.”
Dan, who earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from NC State, said he and Barbara are driven by the desire to help students see an engineering degree as a possibility without being hampered by the cost of a four-year degree.
Dan retired from the engineering firm Dewberry where he worked for more than 40 years, beginning as manager of a startup office in Danville, Virginia., and ultimately serving as Dewberry’s chief operating officer and president.
Dan and Barbara have been and continue to be active in local and regional civic and charitable organizations. Dan previously served on the NC State Civil, Construction, Environmental Department advisory board, and currently serves on the NC State Engineering Foundation board.
NC State offers a variety of engineering degrees from 12 different departments and was ranked No. 25 on the 2023-24 list of Best Engineering Schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The average reported starting salary for NC State College of Engineering graduates in May 2023 was $78,230.
Applicants for the Dan and Barbara Pleasant Scholarship must be submitted to the NC State College of Engineering to be considered. Scholarship applications are submitted through NC State’s scholarship application portal PackAssist. Applications received by February 15 will receive priority consideration. To learn more about applying for scholarships, visit https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/academics/undergrad/scholarships/.
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