Founded by Bhupen Shah ’92, New Program Gives Students Scholarships, Mentorship and Skills
Image by Ed Brennen
04/11/2025
By Ed Brennen
Electrical engineering alum Bhupen Shah ’92 was 20 years into his career as a technology entrepreneur before he felt like he had developed the skills needed to be a successful leader.
He doesn’t want today’s Francis College of Engineering students to wait that long.
The Shah Academy of Innovation and Leadership, established recently by Shah and his wife, Ramika, provides UMass Lowell engineering students with professional mentorship and skill-building resources to help accelerate their growth as future industry leaders.
Five undergraduate engineering students — Nicholas Antonietti, Hilde Axelson, Ethan Ayotte, John Bennett and Allie Reading — were selected last fall as the first Shah Academy inductees.
In addition to receiving $5,000 annual scholarships until they complete their undergraduate or graduate degrees, the inductees are matched with alumni mentors, participate in professional development workshops and networking events, and meet biweekly as a cohort with Shah Academy Director Nuzhat Alamgir to discuss what they are learning.
Image by courtesy
“From my experience hiring and working with college students, I could see that most universities give students a theoretical background — and they're great engineers when they graduate — but they don't have any practical knowledge in terms of how to succeed in a corporate environment,” says Shah, who realized that “we can do something for UMass Lowell students such that, when they graduate, they are ready to not only succeed in the corporate world, but actually become the next generation of leaders.”
Three dozen rising sophomores and juniors from the Francis College were nominated by faculty members last summer for the inaugural Shah Academy cohort. Of those, 20 applied, and 10 were then chosen to interview for the five spots with Shah, Alamgir and alumna Cindy Conde ’87, ’90, co-chair of the Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.
“I’ve always seen myself going further as an engineer into manager leadership roles, so when I heard about this opportunity, I jumped at it,” says Ayotte, a junior chemical engineering major from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who is focused on nuclear engineering.
Image by Ed Brennen
“He’s had an incredible career, and now he’s giving me all sorts of advice about how businesses operate and what I can expect to see” in the industry, Ayotte says.
Reading, a sophomore biomedical engineering major and UML women’s lacrosse player from Draper, Utah, is paired with mechanical engineering alum David Preusse ’85, retired president of Wittmann Battenfeld, a leading manufacturer of injection molding machines, robots and automation systems.
“It’s interesting to learn about his different pathways, starting here doing mechanical and then going into computers and then sales,” says Reading, who doesn’t mind the challenge of running from lacrosse practice to a Shah Academy meeting or event.
“I’m never stressed about it,” she says. “It’s a relief to hang out with my friends here and learn about leadership and have these deep conversations about these skills.”
Image by Ed Brennen
The academy’s induction ceremony in November featured a panel discussion with alumni Rick Pierro ’83, Lisa Brothers ’84 and Kim Kinsley ’91, ’92. Kinsley also led a workshop on ethics and humility with Aaron Shepherd, an assistant teaching professor of philosophy in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
“It’s great that they are able to funnel their energy and knowledge to us,” says Antonietti, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Salem, New Hampshire, who is being mentored by Kinsley, an executive vice president at aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney.
While the $5,000 annual scholarship helps “lift a burden off my shoulders,” Antonietti says he also appreciates the opportunity to develop soft skills such as public speaking that will help him stand out in the job market.
Alamgir, who met Shah while working as a recruiting manager at Acacia, says Shah Academy graduates will be “extraordinary” employees.
Image by courtesy
The Shahs are longtime supporters of UML and the Francis College of Engineering. In 2021, they funded the renovation of Shah Hall. They established the Shah Family Endowment Fund for engineering scholarships and support both the College of Engineering dean's discretionary fund and an emergency fund for UML students. Shah is a member of the Industrial Advisory Board and has served as a judge and mentor for the Rist DifferenceMaker program.
Shah says he is starting the academy small to “make sure it is a very successful program,” but once he has a proof of concept, he wants to fundraise to help it grow. Alamgir can see it expanding to as many as 80 students, with Shah Academy alumni returning to serve as mentors. Next year, the academy will begin cross-programming events with the DifferenceMaker program.
Three sophomores who were among the 10 finalists last fall — biomedical engineering major Aidan George and mechanical engineering majors Ken Hawkey and Sean Roper — were invited to be academy “members” this year, which gives them access to everything but the scholarship. They have joined the inductees for events such as an escape room outing and are part of the academy’s book club.
Now they have a chance to apply to be full inductees of the second five-student cohort.
George, an Honors College student from Lynn, Massachusetts, has enjoyed meeting top students from other engineering disciplines and plans to reapply. Like his Shah Academy peers, George is grateful for the Shahs’ generosity.
“The fact that he's giving back means that he really believes that the school is special, and he can see that students have the potential to benefit society in the future,” George says. “His success is a testament to the fact that students at UML can become supersuccessful themselves.”