Any science or technology that is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic – Arthur C. Clarke
Computer science, like many industries with the word “science” involved, can seem intimidating and inaccessible. When the untrained eye finds itself glancing at the computer programming source code behind everyday applications, these lines and lines of letters and punctuation, things look haphazardly placed. One of the first things programmers learn in a basic programming class, however, is that every dot and dash is placed so precisely, that if one in hundreds of thousands of characters is out of place, the code is as good as useless. With an American workforce that is shifting to the ever more technological, many of the top names in computer science believe in and promote the idea that coding basics should be as commonplace a priority in elementary education as reading and writing. Until then, colleges, universities and tech schools will continue to take students through every level of computer science.
The Call for Computer Science Majors
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects that computer and information technology occupations will grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than average of all fields. These occupations are expected to add nearly half a million jobs in that same time frame, in part due to a greater emphasis on cloud computing, big data storage solution needs, continually expanding reliance on e-commerce, and the demand for mobile computing. The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $82,860 in 2016, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $37,040. Median annual pay expected for software developers who majored in Computer Science is $106,000 according to the Bureau for labor and Statistics, with an entry level salary of $64,650.
The Cost of Computer Science Degrees
While salary numbers are high- in fact, nearly three times the national average, no quality university education comes without sacrifice. The cost of college can often put students into substantial financial debt. The following are scholarships that should help to relieve that pressure and get you back to worrying about the important things, like where that out-of-place comma is on the ten-thousandth line of code.
Note: The deadlines for some of these scholarships have passed, however, we have included only those programs that appear to be long-standing and likely to continue. If you’ve missed this school year’s deadline, look again in a few months.
Previously called the American Association of Cost Engineering International, AACE International was established in 1956 in Durham, New Hampshire, during a meeting of the group of cost engineers who strived to bring professionals in their field together. The organization has made a name for themselves with their monthly technical journal called Cost Engineering. They are a successful non-profit organization with close to 9,000 members and 80 local sections, as well as a large international presence. They have forty years of experience offering a variety of certifications and professional development, while prioritizing the advancement of technical knowledge. Their membership base is multidisciplinary, representing a variety of industries.
AACE International offers a variety of scholarships and fund matching programs for Canadian, US, and International students engaged in cost management in their studies and prospective career path. Applicants are only eligible if they have completed at least one year of post secondary education, with an emphasis on one of the following: Computer Sciences, Building Construction, Business Administration, Information Technology Engineering, or Quantity Surveying. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required, and students must be enrolled in an accredited college or university full time. The Scholarships are awarded annually by the AACE International Education Board. It is required that applicants submit an advisor’s recommendation with their application.
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Adobe - Research Women in Technology Scholarship
Adobe is a multi-national creativity and multimedia software company, headquartered in San Jose, California. This group has become well known for developing applications like Photoshop, Acrobat Reader, and everyone’s favorite document saving option, the PDF (Portable Document Format). More recently their work has taken a turn to include rich internet application software development. They were founded in 1982, by two former Xerox employees, and as of 2015, they have 15,000 employees across the world. The name Adobe came from Adobe Creek in Los Altos, California, which ran behind the house where the two founders birthed this incredibly successful company.
The Adobe Research Women in Technology Scholarship is one of their many projects that this cutting edge company has developed to bridge the gender gap in the technology industry. It is written all over their values that they believe it is critical to bring a diverse groups of people together for the success of their products development and implementation, and they make every effort to do so in their everyday operations. This particular scholarship opportunity is awarded to a female undergraduate, who is enrolled full-time with a focus on Computer Science, Technology, or a similar field. The winner will receive a one time award of $10,000, a one-year Adobe Cloud Subscription, a research mentor, and an opportunity to interview for an internship at Adobe.
This scholarship no longer exists as of July 2024.
The American Association of University Women was founded in 1881, by 17 women who were attending university, who wanted to support each other through a process of receiving an education from institutions that did not take them seriously as scholars. Since then, AAUW has been one of the nation’s leaders in demanding equality for women and girls in education at local, regional and national levels, as well as on campuses throughout the U.S. and internationally. AAUW has a nationwide network of more than 170,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and over 800 college and university partners. Members of this organization have taken strong positions of leadership on issues that are educational, social, economic, and political, always committed to advancing the conversation of educational equity as it is reflected in public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.
The Career Development Grants were originally designed in 1972 to offer “encouragement” funding to AAUW members seeking to renew or resume academic work. Now seen as an opportunity for professionals who are seeking to advance their education in a field where women are underrepresented, just as women are in STEM and computer science. The focus of the grants are to provide funding to women with bachelor’s degrees who preparing to advance professionally, change careers, or re-enter the workforce. Given that AAUW focuses its support on women who are most often overlooked in these fields, weighted consideration is given to women of color and women pursuing their first credential or advanced degree in nontraditional fields. The selection period is from August 1 through December 15 each year and is not available for someone who is pursuing her doctorate degree.
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American and International nonprofit organization. Their goals are at the forefront of their mission and these goals include collaborating with scientists to come together in defense of scientific freedom, promoting scientific accountability and responsibility, and prioritizing scientific education and outreach as a tool to improve conditions for humanity at large. This comprehensive organization dates back to 1848, founded at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. With over 120,000 members, they are the largest global organization that supports general scientific society. Also, they are known for the now out of circulation weekly magazine simply titled Science.
One of the exciting programs that AAAS offers is called the Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellows Program. There are many components to this award, all of which center around the 10-week summer program that matches students of science, mathematics, and engineering with media organizations across the country. Fellows are given the opportunity to sharpen their honed scientific academic training by learning to communicate about critical scientific and technology related issues of our time through various forms of research and journalism. Applicants must be enrolled full-time students in computer or social sciences, health, engineering, math, or related fields. Between 15 and 20 Mass Media Fellows are accepted each year and are given a $500 weekly stipend, with all travel expenses covered to AAAS and their conference sites.
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) was established in 1977 by seven American Indian Scientists, from a variety of tribal affiliations. These innovators founded the non-profit organization with the goal of making room for more representation from American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, First Nation, and other indigenous communities in the STEM, and related fields. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, This society offers an annual three-day national conference, which includes the largest Indian job fair. AISES has 177 chapters on college campuses nationwide, and professional chapters throughout the US and Canada. In 2011, San Juan College’s chapter earned the National Student Chapter of the Year Award.
AISES has paired of with INTEL to create this exciting opportunity for graduate students called Growing the Legacy Scholarship Program. This program will grant awards to 20 graduate students who are focusing their studies on a discipline in the field of STEM, including Computer Science. This award is comprehensive and multifaceted, as each winner will receive not only financial support, but also extensive mentorship, opportunities for paid internships, and possible employment opportunities with INTEL upon graduation. Applicants are required to be AISES members, and submit a certification proving that they have Indian blood, or proof that they hold tribal membership.
Just like many of the professional membership organizations on this list, the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) strives to gather resources for members and promote excellence in the field of Engineering. Founded in 1893, the American Society for Engineering Education is a nonprofit organization of individuals and institutions committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. ASEE works hard to promote communication between corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions. Of the more than 1200 members of ASEE, member’s professions include deans, department heads, faculty members, students, and government and industry representatives, all of whom hail from all disciplines of engineering and engineering technology. With the kind of College and University representation in its membership base, ASEE ensures that the future of engineering and technology will center around education and innovation.
The SMART Scholarship for Service Program is one of ASEE’s proudest programs to manage. SMART stands for Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation, and was established by the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD), to promote and increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories. SMART offers scholarships to undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students who excel in STEM fields. In addition to very large stipends and full cost of education grants, students are provided opportunities to continue their research in civil service roles following graduation. Through SMART, the DoD and ASEE are proud to offer research leaders of tomorrow both an education and a career.
As a membership network, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association serves military and political affiliates through academia, industry, government, and military personnel to communicate needs and advancements across these professions. Since 1946, when it merged with the United States Veterans Signal Association to assist Army veterans advocate for resources, the AFCEA has strived to provide an ethical forum for advancing professional knowledge and relationships in the fields of communications, information technology, intelligence, and security. The roots of this organization trace back to the U.S. Civil War when a similar organization served to inform decision makers of the needs of service members. The membership levels AFCEA offers come in the form of individual, corporate, student and military or government.
The AFCEA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Major Scholarships for undergraduate students is available to students who are majoring a STEM field that is focused on information technology, cybersecurity, telecommunications and electronics supporting the defense, homeland security and intelligence communities. Students must be at least in their second-year of college and enrolled as a sophomore or junior full-time in a four-year college or university at the time of application. Online programs are eligible, however, applicants may not be attending a two year college, nor in their final undergraduate year. Scholarship awards are restricted to tuition, course-related expenses, such as fees, books, supplies and equipment that are required for the courses at the university.
Recognizing the need for more resources to go to Asian and Pacific Islander-American students, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) was established in 2003 to address this need and begin to bridge gaps between under represented API ethnic groups and the general American population. Surprising to some, API students, just as many ethnic minority students and students from immigrant families, fall short of the national averages for college attendance and completion rates. Many of these ethnic groups fall well below the poverty line, and would have trouble paying for tuition even if they were able to attend. The APIASF’s mission is to minimize these barriers with a commitment to all API students, hoping to provide resources that improve access to education, ultimately ensuring a more diverse, successful, and vibrant America.
The APIASF/NASA Scholarship is an opportunity for API students who are majoring in computer science and related fields to receive assistance in reaching their goals, as well as an opportunity for NASA to take notice of young computer scientists who show great potential in the field. Priority will be given to students who live at or below the poverty level, or are otherwise of low socioeconomic status, are the first in their families to attend college, are representative of the API community’s diversity, geographically and ethnically, especially those ethnicities that have been underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity, and have placed strong emphasis on community service and leadership as well as solid academic achievement.
Founded in 1978, the Association for Women in Computing was one of the first professional organizations for women in technology in the U.S. Initially founded as a regional membership organization for women in the Washington D.C. Metro area, now the AWC operates as a national entity, supporting local chapters as well as university sponsored student chapters. The goals of the organization are to support networking opportunities among women in computer science professions, to mentor young women in the computing fields, and to advance and continue education for professionals, all of which are critical for women who are vastly outnumbered in computer science, and may not find the mentorship and opportunity elsewhere. Members of AWC include many types of computer professionals, such as programmers, system analysts, operators, technical writers, Internet specialists, trainers, consultants and others.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan chapter of AWC offers two scholarships per year to committed and focused women who are enrolled in a college or university in the Ann Arbor area, and are pursuing a degree in a computer science. Since the initiation of the scholarship in 2003, the goal of the scholarship has been is to increase the number and influence of women in technology and computing. In order to effectively do this they realize that they must also encourage interest among women in learning about and utilizing these skills to further their professional development, and allow for greater access to women who need it most.
Buildium was established in 2004, as an American Property Management Software Company, located in Boston, Massachusetts. Their primary mission is to provide cloud based real estate software solutions (software as service). They have cornered the market on property management software that provide the innovative and savvy tools for real estate professionals to oversee property portfolios which can include leasing, accounting and operations. One of their many accomplishments was acquiring All Property Management, an online marketing services provider for property managers in February of 2015. In April of 2017, Buildium was called Leader in Gartner Frontrunners Quadrant for Property Management Software.
Buildium is interested in supporting women to rise to the top of the technology field, and foster the examples of the models of great women leaders in the field. The Women in Technology Scholarship opportunity calls the names Meg Whitman, Mary Barra, Virginia Rometty, Susan Wojcicki, and Melinda Gates to the front, and asks applicants to name which female leader has inspired them to pursue their dreams and why, with the assessment that if “you are a woman studying in the fields of STEM, you most likely have one”. This idea is supported by the statistic that only 24% of STEM professionals are women, and only 9% of those are in positions of leadership. One award is given per semester to a woman who is studying in the computer sciences, or other fields relating to Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics.
Carnegie Mellon University is well known for it’s extensive College of Engineering, which is the hub of all academic engineering research and education at this prestigious school. The engineering school is the home to seven departments of study and is ranked fifth in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Within the interdisciplinary department also lies the Information Networking Institute, directed by Dr. Dena Haritos Tsamitis. The INI fosters students in the engineering department to be successful leaders in the field, by providing comprehensive support for students who are pursuing technical, interdisciplinary, and master’s degree programs that emphasize, security, mobility, information networking, and include a business and policy perspective.
The Information Networking Institute at Carnegie Mellon University has collaborated with the Executive Women’s Forum, to create the Executive Women’s Forum INI Fellowship. This opportunity is sponsored by the executive recruitment forum Alta Associates, an organization that focuses on information security and risk management. The first graduate school scholarship of its kind was offered in 2007, with a purpose of serving historically underrepresented students. Applicants must have been admitted into an INI graduate program at Carnegie Mellon University, have a GPA of 3.25 or above, and have no outstanding employment contract while attending graduate school. Awardees are granted a full scholarship and mentorship from a leader in the information security field at Executive Women’s Forum.
The Center for Cyber Safety and Education is formerly known as the (ISC)² foundation are one of the first organizations that committed their mission to making the cyber world one that is safe for everyone. This organization is a non-profit charitable trust that offers educational programming, trainings, research, and scholarships, in service of their their mission to make the internet unequivocally invulnerable for all who open its doors. Their work has exemplified and impacted the world of cyber security in positive ways. One of their exciting projects is called a “Garfield Educator Kit,” designed to teach kids about safe practices on the internet, using language that is both accessible and appropriate for young learners.
(ISC)² Women’s and Raytheon’s Women in Cybersecurity Scholarship is one of the opportunities that the Center of Cyber safety and education offers to learners. Annually, they award up to three female high school seniors and/or first year undergraduates a scholarship of $8,000 for books, fees, or tuition. The same award is granted to up to three mid-career professional women who are pursuing a new career in cyber security. Graduate students are, however, not eligible for this scholarship. Applicants are allowed to be attending an online institution, and must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. All awards will be sent directly to the institution with instructions on how the money may be applied.
As an organization whose mission is to make the internet a safer place for everyone, achieving this goal also requires a heavy focus on researching the internet security world. The Center for Cyber Safety and Education carries on numerous research studies exploring various aspects of internet usage including studies on children’s internet usage and the global information security workforce. In addition to this work of researching what is happening, supporting students who have a focus on computer science and internet safety only enhances the amount and quality of data this organization will have access to over time. These students will strengthen the understanding for the need for organizations of this kind, increase the likelihood that cyber security is attainable through education, and that a safer internet is possible in a reasonable timeframe.
Among the many scholarship opportunities the Center for Cyber Safety and Education offers, applicants can find the the (ISC)² Information Security Undergraduate Scholarship, geared towards undergraduate students in pursuit of a career path in Information security. Students must be enrolled in a full-time or part-time post-secondary program with coursework in Cybersecurity or Information Assurance. Students are able to study online and still qualify. Eligible applicants must have a GPA of 3.3 or above, they must submit one letter of recommendation, and their most recent unofficial transcripts. A statement of purpose will also be heavily weighted among the application materials.
The Foundation for Information Technology Education is an organization that specifically promotes information technology research and education, and supports individuals who are professionally connected to I.T. and Computing fields. It was established in 1975 to advance research in the rapidly changing information technology field, and has persisted as an independent body representing practitioners, educators and researchers. Some of the many responsibilities the foundation takes on are hosting annual conferences, developing educational systems, researching and studying areas of most need for both the field and for professionals in the field, and providing support through grants and scholarships for people interested in studying to advance the field of informations technology.
The Betty Stevens-Frecknall Scholarship is named for a pioneer in the field of I.T. Trained in the 1940s as a card punch operator, Betty Stevens-Frecknall never stopped in her relentless pursuit of education. Over her long career in Informations Technology, the bulk of which she served as a systems analyst, she developed and implemented systems within the department of Housing and Urban Development that ultimately overhauled the department several times, each of these saving the U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars. As a fierce believer in gender equality, Stevens-Frecknall routinely encouraged women to go into I.T. to help even out this heavily male-dominated field. The scholarship in her honor tries to do the same, encouraging applicants who are less represented in the field to apply. To be considered for this $2000 annual award, students must be a declared computer science/CIS/MIS/IT major with GPA of at least 3.0, must have completed at least one full semester of college, must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at an accredited institution in the United States, and must be a US Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident.
The name google has become synonymous with seeking information quickly, research, and knowledge literally at our fingertips. It’s hard for so many of us to imagine a world without this multi-national search company and search engine, even though it was only 1998 when google first became a company, still several years after that before it became a household name. Google was founded by two Stanford University P.h.D. students, who still own 14 percent of Google’s shares. The Googleplex is what the headquarters are referred to, as it is a large campus with many amenities, located in Mountain View, California. As the company continues to expand, they offer more and more web based and cloud productivity options like google drive, google sheets, and google calendar.
One of Google’s strongest known values is that they are committed to the belief that information should be accessible to all. This value is one of the drives behind their support of future leaders break into the computer sciences, regardless of the barriers that often hold students back from successful educations. The Generation Google scholarship awards chosen students with $10,000 if studying in the U.S. and $5,000 to students studying in Canada. Applicants who are current high school seniors, who wish to pursue the fields of computer science are required to participate in Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute, and current graduate and undergraduate students will be welcomed at the Google Scholars Retreat in the summer.
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Hispanic Scholarship Fund
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund was born when a group of hispanic business leaders came together to invest in the future of young people who share their heritage. In an effort to disrupt the legacies of underrepresentation of hispanic leaders in tech, the non-profit Hispanic Scholarship Fund was created in 1993, in Washington DC. The funding for this organization comes from many private donors and corporate contributions from companies such as Estee Lauder and the Ford Motor Company Fund. In the past they have collaborated with Google, among other large tech companies. HSC has been known to offer a variety of scholarship opportunities to hispanic students of many disciplines.
The Hispanic Scholarship fund offers an annual award to hispanic high school seniors and undergraduate students who are pursuing a degree in the fields of STEM. This can be an especially exciting opportunity for qualified students who are working are emphasizing computer sciences in the coursework and career path. This award is also open to applicants who are transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions, as well as graduate students. The scholarships are based both on financial need, as well as merit. Applicants must be of hispanic heritage, have a minimum GPA of 2.5 or higher, and plan to be enrolled as a full-time student at a four-year accredited post-secondary institution, during the fall of the scholarship cycle.
IEEE (pronounced “I triple E”) has been a professional association for workers in the electrical engineering trades since 1963. It is located in New York City, on the famous Park Avenue, and was birthed from a collaboration between the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the Institute of Radio Engineers. At this juncture, they are the largest association of technical professionals, and have a membership base of over 420,000 members that span over 160 countries throughout the world. Their primarily objectives continue to be technical and educational advancements of the fields of electrical and electronic engineering, computer engineering, and telecommunications. The Current President and CEO is Karen Bartleson.
The IEEE Presidents Scholarship Program began in 1999, with the intention of supporting talented students to be the next leaders in computer sciences and engineering. The award is granted to a student who exhibits an outstanding project that shows superior capabilities and comprehension in the fields of electronic engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science. The Scholarship is presented to the student at the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), which is the largest pre-university science and engineering fair. Eligible students must compete in the project competition at the state and local levels prior to applying, which are held each year in May.
NOTE: The IEEE Presidents Scholarhip Program was put on hiatus for 2020; awards are expected to return in 2021.
The Jewish Federation is a well known non-profit that supports the Secular Jewish Community, with chapters located all over the country. Much of their work focuses on providing “human services” to local community, though not exclusively Jewish. The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago is part of a network of local programming and agencies that focus on the needs of over 500,000 local people of all faiths in need annually. They also prioritize Jewish learning and identity development and awareness, and bringing Jews from all backgrounds together to cultivate deeper communities and Jewish experiences. Part of their mission includes honoring the past to make way for the future.
One of the many programs that the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago offers is a scholarship for Jewish graduate and undergraduate students. Eligible candidates must be pursuing a degree in one of many “helping” listed fields, including computer science. Scholarships are given to students who are Jewish, can prove financial need, were born and raised in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, including Lake County Indiana, and intend to remain in the area following graduation. All applicants are required to attend and in-person interview, as part of the application process. It must be clear that the student has excellent career potential based on their application materials.
Michigan Council of Women in Technology was started in the year 2000, as a base of career-oriented women, committed to supporting women leaders in the I.T. world. It would come to evolve into a much larger organization with a focus not only on building a large-scale vision of women in tech, but also including a substantial philanthropic arm. One of the elements stressed in their mission is bringing more diversity to Michigan’s technical community as a critical component to the state’s transformation towards successful tech-based industry. Part of the strive for diversity, means creating and retaining a larger female leadership base, with the ultimate goal of making Michigan the number one state for women in tech.
As a component of the Michigan Council of Women in Technology’s Philanthropic work, they have several scholarships offerings, including their College/University Scholarship. Eligible applicants must be women residents of the state of Michigan. They must also be full-time graduate or undergraduate students majoring in Information Sciences, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science, or a similar field. Applicants must also have a record of a 3.0 GPA or higher, and be studying in a college or university in the state of Michigan. Scholarship awards will be granted to the financial aid office of the student’s institution to be applied to the educational costs of the grantee. The award is renewable for four years.
Microsoft is a well-known American based, multinational company known for software development, consumer electronics, personal computers and services. Many people know Microsoft best from their Windows operating systems, and office suite, as well as the Internet Explorer web browser. In 2016 Microsoft became known as the world’s largest software maker, as told by revenue, and also one of the world’s “most valuable companies.” Their hardware is also widely used and appreciated, including their tablet line, Microsoft Surface, and the Xbox video game console. Their largest corporate acquisitions to date are LinkedIn and Skype, which is worth 8.5 billion dollars collectively, and both were departures from their work in operating system development.
Microsoft has always prioritized diversity in the workplace, and have made a true commitment to supporting the development of black employees in leadership roles. One of the ways they sustain this work is by offering a scholarship called BAM, Blacks at Microsoft, an award that will be granted to two black high school seniors who are on the path of pursuing a career in technology. The award is renewable, enabling students who continue to meet the criteria to receive the award for all four years of undergrad. Eligible students must be of African descent, be a high school senior in good standing, have plans to attend a two or four-year university or college in the fall that directly follows high school graduation, plan to pursue a major in computer science or related field, have a 3.3 GPA or higher, and demonstrate financial need.
Along with Microsoft’s commitment to innovation technologically, they also recognize that innovation has to take place socially. Designing software that transforms the ways people around the world work and think, Microsoft also understands this social commitment must extend to the ways people learn. With the Microsoft Education initiative, they see their role as empowering the students of today to create the world of tomorrow. Offering affordable devices and software platforms is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Microsoft’s influence in the classroom, including games and programs that help students learn new ways of engaging those tools of tomorrow, and hopefully be agents of advancing them even farther than that.
With that very goal in mind, Microsoft offers tuition scholarships and conference scholarships each year to students who are currently enrolled at a four-year college or university, to pursue studies in Computer Science disciplines. Applicants should have a passion for technology and that should be reflected in their pursuits, demonstrable academic excellence, and an ease with leadership, while working to push the software industry forward. Applications for the tuition scholarship will be accepted October 20, 2017 through February 9, 2018.
The National Society of High School Scholars was founded in 2002 to connect high achieving High School students with each other, with collegiate and professional opportunities, and with transition resources from high school to college, college to professional school and post-secondary to the the work force. In the decade and a half since the membership program began, over 1.6 million students around the globe have taken advantage of the rewarding educational, networking and professional resources offered by NSHSS. Continuing his family’s legacy of commitment to peace and excellence, Claes Nobel founded NSHSS with James Lewis, and have worked tirelessly to provide students from all walks of life the opportunity to have the resources they need to make the world a better place, beginning with their education.
The STEM scholarships program awards up to 10 NSHSS member students annually, who have demonstrated excellence in Computer and Computational Sciences, including Statistics and Accounting, and who exhibit a commitment to peace through community service and leadership in community involvement. Students must also have a 3.0 GPA or higher and come from a socially marginalized group who is also underrepresented in the STEM fields. The organization’s commitment to help reduce financial barriers for those with academic and leadership potential and the desire to pursue STEM careers comes from the belief that in order to increase diversity in the technology workforce, we must increase diversity in undergraduates.
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company is an investor-owned electric utility, that contributes natural gas and electricity to the majority of Northern California, which includes an estimate of 5.2 million households. They are headquartered in the PG&E Building in San Francisco. The company was founded directly after the Gold Rush, but George H. Roe, and in 1984 became the country’s “largest electric utility business.” In 1930 PG&E began delivering gas to San Francisco and Northern California through what was then, the largest pipeline in the world. This connected Northern California with the Texas gas field with compressor stations every 300 miles that provided cooling towers.
PG&E has effectively created employee resource groups that are not only meant to bring employees together, but gives them pointed opportunities to work within their communities to support students pursuing higher learning. One of the many responsibilities associated with the employee resource groups are awarding excellent students who hold commitments to both education and community service, with scholarship awards ranging from $1,000-$5,000. Each group features a particular minority, and has the resources to foster students that would fall within that group, specifically disability inclusion, black students, Latino students, and Asian students, and LGBT students, among others. Applicants should be pursuing an education in the fields of computer sciences or another STEM discipline.
Texas Instruments is a semiconductor manufacturing and design company that sells its products internationally. They are headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and based on sales, they are one of the top ten semiconductor companies in the world. Once called Geophysical Service Incorporated, they reorganized and became Texas Instruments in 1951. Originally they manufactured equipment for the seismic industry, and defense oriented electronics. In 1950 they developed the world’s first silicon transistor, which lead to the first transistor radio in 1954. In 1967 they invented the first handheld calculator, and then the first single chip micro-controller, which synthesized all aspects of computing onto one piece of silicone.
Texas Instruments has created a partnership with the REC Foundation to create two non-renewable scholarship opportunities for high school seniors who are in pursuit of a college education in the fields of computer science or a STEM field. This opportunity is geared towards students who have participated in the VEX Robotic Competition, Project Lead the Way (PTLW), FIRST Robotics Competition, or BEST Robotics. The primary application element in the essay that should be no longer the 500 words addressing the students participation in one of the programs listed on their website, their interest in engineering or robotics, and how Texas Instruments has contributed to the design of their project.
Since 2018, Western Digital has offered the Western Digital Scholarship Program, offering up to $5000 for students in STEM. The Western Digital Scholarships for STEM program is intended for students from underrepresented groups around the world, giving young people the opportunity to enter STEM careers. TheWe.care Scholarships program is for the family of Western Digital employees, regardless of major.
Western Digital has been at the forefront of digital storage and hard drive manufacture since they began making circuits in 1970. Based in San Jose, CA, Western Digital is committed to corporate responsibility, with massive investment and charitable wings of the company.