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When Henil Patel first arrived at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University from Mumbai, India, he knew he had to overcome his shyness to make friends and find a home on the .

“I am an introvert, but I forced myself to get out there and get involved,” Patel said. “Being shy was not an option, and joining campus organizations helped me increase my confidence and become a student leader.”

Patel, now a senior student, also knew that he could face added challenges as an international student when securing scholarships or internships.

But Patel has managed to land both, thanks to a combination of perseverance and mentorship. The Institute of International Education has selected Patel as a 2024-2025 — the first time an Embry‑Riddle student has received the award. He also recently completed his second summer internship with The Boeing Company.

“There are not a lot of scholarships for international students, and I had to do a lot of digging to find the Western Union Global Scholars Program,” Patel said. “This was a very competitive scholarship with the best students applying from around the world.”

Jennifer Schaeffer, director of the university’s , helped Patel apply for the Western Union scholarship, which is awarded based on a student’s academic standing, personal goals and level of financial need. The Western Union Foundation launched the Global Scholars program in 2017 to provide funding to students in their final years of college.

“Henil’s academic success, research and industry experience, and passion for helping others made him a strong candidate for this prestigious award,” Schaeffer said.

Patel is now a peer mentor for Schaeffer’s office, where he assists other students.

Embry‑Riddle student Henil Patel has spent the past two summers as an intern on Boeing’s Airplane Safety Engineering (ASE) team. Here, Patel (bottom) joins members of the team in front of Boeing’s Everett, Washington, manufacturing factory. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/Tim Peng)

Mentors Make a Difference

In addition to excelling academically, Patel served on Embry‑Riddle’s team for . He is currently a project manager for the university’s team competing in the AIAA Space Design Competition, which focuses on designs for the exploration of Mars, and a member of the Embry‑Riddle team competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s , which challenges students to design distributed energy systems. Patel is also the lead Boeing student ambassador on campus and a research assistant at the at Embry‑Riddle.

Patel’s can-do attitude and academic achievements made him stand out in The Boeing Career Mentoring Program, a university initiative that matches students with Embry‑Riddle alumni at Boeing. Alumnus Chad Douglas, Boeing executive director of airplane safety engineering, encouraged Patel to apply for an internship.

“As an international student, securing an internship in the aerospace industry was challenging,” said Patel. “Networking and mentorship helped me overcome this obstacle.”

Douglas, who praised Patel’s “passion for aviation and engineering curiosity,” said he was happy to mentor a fellow Eagle. Patel was selected for an internship with Boeing’s Airplane Safety Engineering (ASE) team in Everett, Washington.

“Henil’s curiosity and insightfulness readily come across in conversation,” said Anton Koveza, who leads the ASE team. “One can tell he already has contextual knowledge about some of the work, and this gives you confidence he will approach complex assignments with the same rigor and curiosity.”

The Boeing team also took advantage of Patel’s talents at cricket — India’s most popular sport.

“I have a crazy passion for cricket, and I have really missed playing it since I came to the U.S.,” said Patel, who started with the sport as a child in Mumbai. “When I was part of the company’s cricket club, I was playing with Boeing managers and other employees, so I got to know them socially as well as professionally.”