For Keenan Machi, solving problems is more than an academic interest. It’s what drew him to engineering and shaped how he responded after Hurricane Helene.

After the storm, fallen trees damaged his family’s Asheville property, while school closures disrupted his mother’s tutoring business. The financial impact lingered long after the storm and limited the family’s ability to help pay for college.

Rather than simply watching the recovery unfold, Keenan helped organize volunteers to clear fallen trees, process firewood and deliver it to local families in need. He also helped raise money for equipment that supported the community’s ongoing recovery efforts.

Despite those challenges, Keenan excelled at Martin L. Nesbitt Jr. Discovery Academy, where he served as senior editor of the yearbook and secretary of the school’s Technology Student Association chapter. His interest in engineering grew through hands-on experiences, including a summer program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he helped develop a device designed to detect microplastics in water.

Looking ahead, Keenan is focused on using engineering to make a difference. “I aspire to engineer change, and with the funding to get there, I will take advantage of every possibility that I have,” he said.

Keenan will attend the University of Michigan in the fall to study mechanical engineering, with support from NCCF’s Disaster Relief and Resilience Scholarship helping to make that opportunity possible.

“Although experiencing Helene was devastating, what has come from that experience amounts to a lifelong gift of opportunity through quality education. I will always be a steward of these mountains and promise to represent the people of its hills and hollows well.”— Keenan Machi, 2026 NCCF Disaster Relief and Resilience Scholar