March 23, 2005


Marc J. Chelemer ’81
Class President & Class Agent
3 Hillcrest Road
Tenafly, NJ 07670-1414


Dear Marc,

I am delighted to report the Class of 1981 Scholarship Fund recipients for 2004/2005. Maricela Delgadillo ’08 of Huntington Park, California, has been chosen as a new class scholar, while Keith Durand ’05 of Houston, Texas, will continue as class scholar for the current academic year.

Maricela Delgadillo ’08, the first person in her family to attend college, was very active in her high school community. She served as vice president of the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement organization, president of the California Scholarship Federation, and as a Southeast Youth Council representative. She also volunteered for the Gage Middle School Drama Department, and served as vice chair of Huntington Park Youth Commission, part of Houston’s Parks and Recreations Department. In past summers, she tutored math and science at Huntington Park High School. She spent this past summer at MIT, participating in Project Interphase. Maricela plans to major in some form of engineering, and pursue engineering as a career. Her other interests include reading and math.

Mechanical engineering major Keith Durand ’05 is a member of the MIT Symphony Orchestra and is working on an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program project in MIT’s Bioengineering Department. He also is a student member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and spends a great deal of his time conceiving, designing, fabricating, and competing with small, formula-style racing cars through Formula SAE racing competitions. Over the summer, he had an internship with the engineering firm, Foster-Miller. For fun, he is currently restoring a 1956 Chevy pick-up. He plans a career in academia.

As you know, support from the Class of 1981 Scholarship Fund helps MIT maintain its commitment to admitting the best and brightest students, regardless of need. On behalf of the Alumni Association and the Institute, I send sincere thanks for the Class of 1981’s contributions to this fund.

If you want more information or if you would like to meet with Maricela or Keith, please let me know. Thank you again for your support.  

Sincerely,



Monica L. Ellis ’91
Director, MIT Alumni Fund
617.253.0743; monicam@mit.edu

cc:    Michael M. Gerardi ’81, Secretary
        Amelia Phillips ’81, Webmaster
        Eric S. Sklar ’81, Treasurer
        Heather Hagerty, Associate Director, Class Giving, MIT Alumni Fund