Born and raised in Brazil, Guilherme “William” Sprowl and his family moved to Indianapolis when he was 17. He admits, he’s always been interested in math and science, which is what brought him to Indianapolis Met. “My parents wanted me at a school that would really challenge me,” said William.

Our 2010 valedictorian, William maintained a 4.1 GPA, lettered in soccer, was a member of student council and founded the National Society of Black Engineers chapter at Indianapolis Met. William’s academic performance and extracurricular involvement helped him earn highly sought after honors and scholarships to help him further his education and career path.

William was honored as a Gates MillenniumScholar, Coca-Cola Scholar, CICF Lilly Scholar and American Chemical Society Scholar. The Coca-Cola Scholarship is given to 250 students nationally each year and works to continually nurture their service-oriented leaders. The Gates Millennium is awarded to only 1,000 students nationwide and is funded by a $1.6 billion grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The CICF Lilly Scholarship aims to raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana and must be used at an accredited Indiana college or university. 

William graduated from one of the nation’s top engineering schools, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, in 2016 graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Spanish & Literature. Back when he was a junior at Rose-Hulman, we took a moment to ask William a few questions about his success and time at Indianapolis Met High School.

“I owe a lot of my success to the Met. Their staff is responsible for where I am today. They believed in me, pushed me, and continue to support me throughout college,” said William.

Which internship was the most helpful? Because I’m pursuing chemical engineering, the network I gained with NASA was extremely valuable. The name recognition alone is big.

What are your plans after college? My short term goal is to complete a few internships, ideally in the oil industry, and gain a better understanding of a chemical engineer’s role in that environment because that’s where I see myself working immediately after college, with an oil company.

How has the Met prepared you for college and your career? Walking into career services at Rose-Hulman with a three-page resume as a freshman, the advisors were impressed. They said I had more experience than any freshman they’d ever seen.

Any advice for current students? Take advantage of those internships and college classes, and when you go to those internships build that network because you can land a great internship your first year of college by having a strong recommendation from your previous employer. It’s all about who you know.

Since his time at Indianapolis Met, William has gone on to earn multiple certifications in his industry, co-author several publications and serve in a variety of capacities on campus and off. 

If you know of anyone looking for a high school in Indianapolis with small class sizes for their student to attend, consider sharing The Indianapolis Metropolitan High School with them.