When adults ask children what they want to be when they grow up, their imaginations run wild. They dream of fighting fires, donning cowboy hats or soaring into outer space. For some of them, these dreams turn into reality. It took Emergency Educational Grant recipient Jared Laing until college to figure out he wanted to study aerospace engineering, but any space-enthusiast 8-year-old would surely envy Jared’s decision.

“I hope to get involved in a space program and make advances that are revolutionary instead of evolutionary,” says Jared, a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. “I also have a love for speed, and aerospace engineers get to play with some pretty quick toys.”

Before choosing his major, Jared founded RPI’s Space Society Club, through which he met a professor working on a laser propelled spacecraft project. That meeting, coupled with attending a presentation by NASA employees who work on the Mars Rover, inspired Jared to enter the aerospace field. With his decision came a challenging schedule that includes courses such as Quasars and Cosmology and Aerodynamics.

“The largest challenge at Rensselaer is keeping your goals in mind and finding motivation to move forward,” says Jared, who maintains a 3.6 GPA. “Rensselaer is not a walk in the park. Stress levels are high, and the workload never ends.”

Astronomical Expense Between his classes, Jared goes to his work-study job at RPI’s Campus and Transportation Office. He’s worked there since his freshman year and has held other jobs. With his annual tuition costing $33,500, not including room and board, Jared works out of necessity. Fortunately, he does receive some financial assistance, including an Emergency Educational Grant from the Elks National Foundation.

“The ENF grant takes a significant burden off my shoulders when I receive the outrageous bill from RPI each semester,” says Jared, who has received EEG grants totaling $13,000 over four years. “Without the grant, I would be forced to work more hours and spend less time on my studies.”

Children of deceased or disabled Elks are eligible to apply for the Emergency Educational Grant. Jared’s step father, a member of the Scotia-Glenville, N.Y., Lodge, was injured in a car accident and has been permanently disabled since 2002. For a one-income family with three children, including Jared’s older sister Cassie who also received Emergency Educational Grants for four years, financing college caused great concern.

“I genuinely appreciate all the help and support the Elks have provided me with,” says Jared.

To Boldly Go With only a year left of school, Jared recently took a semester off from his classes to take a co-operative position with General Electric Aviation in Boston, Mass. The eight-month program allowed him to learn new software programs, proposal writing, presentation skills and customer relations. He’s already starting to think about his next co-op experience, in hopes that it will lead him to a permanent job with a company after graduation.

“At GE, I experience significant growth in both my professional and personal life,” says Jared. “Professionally, I learned what an engineer does; what information I should be focusing on in school; and how an engineer must perform in order to advance in his or her career.”

Though Jared’s focused on his educational goals, he still finds time to have fun. To satisfy his penchant for cooking, Jared started a Gourmet Club that hosts a themed potluck dinner once a week. Jared learned the importance of community service at his step-father’s Lodge, and now continues to volunteer with his fraternity. He also enjoys skiing and kayaking; hobbies he’ll enjoy for years to come if, as he hopes, his aerospace career leads him somewhere near the beach and mountains. With Jared’s record of making dreams come true, he should start practicing his downhill now.

The Elks National Foundation allocated $3.06 million in 2006-07 to fund its three scholarship programs. If you know an Elk child who may be eligible to receive an Emergency Educational Grant, encourage them to visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars/eefgrants.cfm, where they can learn more. For information about ENF’s other scholarship opportunities, visit www.elks.org/enf/scholars/ourscholarships.cfm.