Charles Austin
What is your hometown? Steeleville, Illinois.
What inspired you to choose SIU? I was inspired to come to SIU to continue my automotive degree by hearing about SIU's great automotive program through my advisor and professors at the community college.
What are your hobbies, interests, and/or activity groups that you are currently involved in? My hobbies include bass fishing, and I also enjoy relaxing by playing video games. I am obviously interested in anything cars and find that most of my close friends share this same interest and have influenced me deeply.
What is your most memorable experience thus far at SIU? My most memorable experience so far is going to the homecoming football game this year with a few friends it was a great game and a great time where I was able to feel connected to SIU and its students.
What would you tell a prospective student about SIU? I would tell them that the professors at SIU in the automotive program are some of the best and most caring people I have ever gotten to learn from. Everyone really wants to be able to see you leave with a job and watch you succeed in industry.
What do you brag about most when you tell your friends about SIU? I mostly brag about our automotive program and all the cool new vehicles we get to experiment on. I also brag about how I like our campus and always enjoy going on walks in the woods around the lake.
How has SIU inspired you? SIU has inspired me to be the best person I can be, my professors have inspired me to make sure I am never doubting my abilities and talents.
What does the scholarship mean to you and how has it enabled you to pursue your goals? This scholarship means the world to me to be able to relief some of the financial stress of college, so I can focus even more on my studies instead of money. It has helped me to pursue my goals by letting me focus my attention to doing opportunities that I might have been hesitant to do before because of money. Opportunities like shadowing people in industry or doing externships/internships.
Why should someone consider donating to SIU? They should because the students here all really want to succeed and care about their studies. All the people here are focused on the goal of making a change in the work force. This means that any money given just helps to reinforce this goal and keep everyone here focused on creating positive change in the world.
Do you have a message that you would like to share with scholarship donors? Thank you for everything you do for SIU and its students. Trust me when I say it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.