Vistamar Student Receives Tuition Scholarship to Engineering College

Manhattan Beach resident Brian Liebson will join 83 other students from around the world to form the tenth freshmen class at the highly selective Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA. 

Olin's class of 2016 represents 22 states and five countries. Forty-four percent of the incoming freshmen class is female and more than percent are National Merit Scholars.

The college offers half tuition merit scholarships, valued at more than $75,000 per student, to all admitted undergraduates. The scholarships are supported through a grant of approximately $460 million from the F.W. Olin Foundation, whose generous endowment has supported the construction of Olin's state-of-the-art facilities and the hiring of nationally renowned faculty members.

Brian, who is a standout student at Vistamar in El Segundo, was admitted to the college based on excellent academic and extra-curricular credentials, said school officials. He was chosen through a unique, personalized admission process, which included a weekend visit to the college where he participated in a design and build exercise, interviewed with many members of the Olin community and spent time getting to know current Olin students.

According to a press release, "Olin College is an undergraduate engineering college offering an innovative curriculum that aims to produce technological leaders. Olin's unusual approach to engineering education incorporates entrepreneurship as well as the arts, humanities and social sciences. Interdisciplinary, project-based learning is the hallmark of Olin's academic program."

The college opened in 2002 and has since graduated more than 420 students. Its mission is to prepare students to become exemplary engineering innovators who recognize needs, design solutions, and engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world.