The cost of college will be $40,000 lighter for 21 high-achieving metro Atlanta students who received grants from retail giant Amazon on Tuesday.
The students were surprised by the news.
Eight of the students arrived Tuesday morning at the Georgia World Congress Center with what they thought were plans to serve on a panel about their studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Radio host Kenny Burns moderated the panel, asking students from Atlanta Public Schools and Clayton and DeKalb counties about their interest in STEM classes. Karen Palacios Echeverria, a senior at North Atlanta High School, said when she started taking computer science courses, she was the only female student in her classes.
“To not see myself within that space kind of made me intimidated because I felt like I wasn’t worthy enough to be in that classroom,” she said. “I’m so happy to have had teachers ... who helped motivate me to practice and actually feel empowered to learn to code and know that I can actually make a difference.”
After hearing from the students, Burns said he had some gifts for them. True to form, Amazon delivered brown packages to each student. Inside was the news they’d been awarded the company’s Future Engineer Scholarship. The students will receive $10,000 a year to study a STEM field in college and a paid internship at Amazon. The company will award $840,000 in scholarships in Georgia.
Students smiled, clapped, and even jumped out of their chairs after opening the packages. Their families cheered from their seats in the audience.
The program is available to students from underserved and historically underrepresented communities, the company said. Research shows students from those communities, and women, are underrepresented in the STEM workforce. Students apply for the scholarship and are chosen on criteria including academic achievement, leadership, and participation in school activities, Amazon said.
“This really means that you have people in the community that value what you bring to the table, and they’re willing to invest in your future,” DeKalb interim Superintendent Vasanne Tinsley told the students Tuesday.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Daniellange Auguste, a senior at Arabia Mountain High School in DeKalb, said the money is a welcome surprise. She’s headed to Fort Valley State University in the fall to study computer science.
“It’s going to be definitely a load off … because before when I was choosing my college, I was like, ‘I don’t care about how much college costs. I’m going to find a way to go there,’” she said. “And this is my way to go there.”
For Amiri Jones, a senior at the Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts in Clayton County, the scholarship is a relief. He plans to study electrical engineering at Hendrix College in Arkansas.
“I don’t have to worry about attending,” he said. “I just have to go there and be great.”
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