Orono College Student Wins Grand Prize in National Essay Contest

Andrea Walvatne, a fifth-year mechanical engineering student at Michigan Technological University, is the national grand prize winner in the annual "Stilettos to Steel Toes" essay contest, sponsored by Schlumberger and endorsed by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).

Schlumberger is a leading international oilfield services provider.

Walvatne is the daughter of Joel and Diane Walvatne of Orono.

The contest invites women engineering students to write short essays examining "Where will your shoes take you?," explaining why a nontraditional job is the way to go.

The grand prize winner receives a $2,000 scholarship and an expense-paid trip to the SWE 2012 national conference in Houston in November, where she will read her essay.

In Michigan Tech's SWE section, Walvatne's essay placed first, winning $1,000; Britta Anderson's took second place and a $500 prize, and Kimberly D'Augustino's essay placed third, receiving $250.

Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world.