ExxonMobil’s Continuing Support
June 4, 2026
Throughout the 22 years of GeoFORCE Texas, the Exxon Mobil Corporation has always maintained strong engagement with us. ExxonMobil was one of the founding sponsors of GeoFORCE Texas and have long believed in the mission of the program. They have supported our students in numerous ways such as mentoring on our academies, hosting workshops for our alumni in college, providing fieldwork tools, hiring former GeoFORCE students, and by surpassing a remarkable giving milestone.
GeoFORCE includes a Professional Mentor as an additional staff member on as many summer academies as we can. These mentors are industry professionals who participate in our educational teaching and present their career paths to our students. Over 20 ExxonMobil professionals have joined us as Professional Mentors, beginning as early as 2008.
Tiffany Hedayati is a Geoscience Advisor at ExxonMobil and has experience as a Professional Mentor for GeoFORCE. In 2018, she had the opportunity to work with an exceptional group of students. Hedayati shared that she formed a strong bond with the students she mentored and still remains in touch with one young man from that experience today.
“Having dedicated professionals involved in the program leaves a lasting impression on students, much like a trace fossil,” Hedayati told us. “We hope ExxonMobil mentors gain a fresh perspective through this experience and speaking with students often reminds them why they pursued geoscience in the first place. Students also bring curiosity and new ways of thinking; their questions and perspectives can challenge assumptions that professionals may carry, sparking new ideas. This type of innovative thinking is essential both in the field and in the classroom.”.
Along with the mentorship that ExxonMobil has provided, they have also donated field supplies for our summer academies. For many summers, our 9th grade GeoFORCE students have used hand lenses gifted to us to study beach grain size on the Gulf Coast of Texas. The goal of the 9th grade academy is to introduce students to geology and the basic fieldwork geoscientists do. Using the same tools that geoscientists rely on in the field gives students a more hands-on learning experience and helps them build confidence in their scientific skills.
Even after GeoFORCE students graduate from the program, ExxonMobil still helps us support our now college students through career development workshops. During these events held annually at UT Austin, students can learn about careers at ExxonMobil and chat with company representatives to hear about their experiences. This is another opportunity that exposes GeoFORCE alumni to industry professionals and gives these busy students dedicated time to think about their future careers.
To date, ExxonMobil has hired five GeoFORCE alumni and continues to actively seek talented candidates from the program. Amazingly, we have three alumni currently working at the company, and they are all Longhorns!
Jeffrey Sitgreaves is a Technical Team lead at ExxonMobil and was part of the second GeoFORCE cohort in 2006. After completing the program, he came back as a counselor and graduated from UT with a B.S. in Geophysics and a M.S. in Sedimentology and Stratigraphy.
Nicole Gonzalez is an ExxonMobil Geoscientist. She completed the GeoFORCE program in 2015, returned as a counselor, and later received her M.S. in Geological Sciences from UT. She was inducted into the GeoFORCE Alumni Hall of Fame in 2024 for her continuous support of the program.
Lastly, Katherine Garcia started as an ExxonMobil as an intern and is now works for them as a Geoscientist with one of her assignments taking her to Brazil. She completed the GeoFORCE program in 2016 and went on to receive a M.S. in Energy and Earth Resources from UT. She was also inducted into the GeoFORCE Alumni Hall of fame in 2025 and is pictured below with the award following the 12th Grade Academy closing ceremony.
“The program helped me recognize the value of my education and the possibilities ahead of me. One of the researchers who guided my 10th grade trip eventually became my graduate school advisor, and before long, I found myself working alongside some of the most talented people I’ve ever met.”
Katherine Garcia, GeoFORCE alumna
Two recent GeoFORCE college graduates are set to begin their full-time careers and join their peers at ExxonMobil this year. Angel Valles, a 2026 UT graduate, and Divya Shukla, a 2026 Texas A&M graduate, will both start with the company as chemical engineers.
On top of all the amazing support from ExxonMobil that has already been mentioned, this year they have returned as a Sapphire level sponsor of GeoFORCE Texas. Including this commitment for the 2026 summer academies, they have brought their total giving contribution to over $1.5 million dollars! This gift has helped more than 2,100 students learn about geosciences in a way that no one else does it and the entire GeoFORCE program is grateful for the time, tools, and funding ExxonMobil has provided. We look forward to continuing this relationship in the future.
If you or your company are interested in following in ExxonMobil’s footsteps, please reach out to Kristen Tucek, who would be happy to meet with you about giving opportunities. She can be reached at ktucek@jsg.utexas.edu.
Check out more photos of ExxonMobil impact on GeoFORCE throughout the years:
Written by Jas Atobajeun with help from the ExxonMobil Team
