Jessica Lambert, a mechanical engineering junior, became the first-ever recipient of the Ally Orr Women in STEM, Medicine and Law Scholarship.
Lambert received the scholarship at a small donor reception of supporters, fundraisers, faculty and staff, students and others at the Boise State Alumni and Friends Center presented by scholarship founder Ally Orr.
The Women in STEM, Medicine and Law scholarship started in December 2021 after viral comments sparked marketing student Ally Orr to start a scholarship fund on a popular crowdfunding platform.
Within 24 hours, the scholarship account had more than $10,000. Within three days the scholarship stood at over $25,000. At the scholarship reception on April 27, the Ally Orr Women in STEM, Medicine and Law scholarship fund stood at over $200,000.
The Ally Orr Women in STEM, Medicine and Law received a $250,000 donation from an anonymous donor announced at the scholarship reception securing it as an endowed scholarship, which will fund four percent scholarships for a student or students in future contributions.
“To me this is the university, Ally, people around the community saying ‘you are worth investing in, women are worth investing in, and we believe in you’,” Lambert said. “This is so different from other scholarships because of how much Ally had to do to make it live, the fact that it’s endowed, and the fact that everyone in the community is just so willing to give for that.”
Lambert spends her time outside of the classroom supervising the College of Engineering’s Engineering Innovation Studio. Here she helps other students and supports outreach teams like the FIRST Robotics Team- The Chickadees. A team Lambert herself was a part of before attending Boise State.
Lambert received a monetary award of $2,430, which she will use to finish the last semester of her undergraduate degree.
-by Jamie Fink