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Appreciation for education leads to helping others pursue passions

Tim Pickens ('77) holds a deep appreciation for the possibilities education provides. It resonates through his conversations when discussing his alma mater, lessons he shares with his children, and reasons for choosing to fund scholarships for University of Louisiana at Lafayette students.

"Passions are much better fulfilled with education, so outlets and avenues should exist to help them make it happen," says Pickens.

He created his own way to help students pursue their passions with a bequest to establish the Timothy L. and Cynthia C. Pickens Endowed Scholarship in Engineering, which he hopes will inspire them to do the best they can for themselves and for the world.

Pickens graduated from Jennings High School in 1973 and received his Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering from then-University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) in 1977. He became a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas in 1992, a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas in 1993, and received his MBA in 1995 from Our Lady of the Lake University.

He had successful careers at Shell and Swift Energy before retiring in 2016. When reflecting on why he was able to enjoy his career, his thoughts always led back to his undergraduate degree.

He started his college education by saving enough for one semester and worked offshore during every break and summer. Deans and department leadership graciously identified scholarship opportunities for him, which helped him get through college without any debt.

Pickens recalls the schoolwork being difficult but enjoyable. He liked studying in nearby Girard Park. The instructors could be humorous at times, and some were industry representatives who took time off to teach. He always knew he wanted to go into petroleum engineering and applied his degree immediately.

Pickens married his wife, Cynthia, in 1983. They met while both worked at Shell, and she retired from the company after 29 years. Pickens said their two children know how much he values education and how to use it to think critically about the world.

With this gift, Pickens hopes to lead by example and motivate others to give to the University by considering what helped them achieve what they have. He observed, "At a certain age you reflect on your life - what if you didn't have that luck to get where you want to be?"

For Pickens, "Education expands the world for anyone," and he enjoys being able to help students achieve their dreams at the university so integral to his success.