Are You a Nerd Girl Looking for a Scholarship?
There are tons of opportunities for you to get some help with your education, and since you're all so busy working on said-education, I've done some of the leg work for you. As promised in our last post, below are just a few of the many organizations looking to reward you for all of your academic efforts:
The Facts: Merit-based scholarships for women entering their junior or senior year of college who are "pursuing studies in computer science, computer engineering, web design or other IT-related disciplines." Awards are up to $10,000 and may be used for tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
The Facts: SWE offers a number of scholarships in a range of categories - freshmen, undergraduates, graduates, and re-entry - to women pursuing degrees in engineering, computer science, or engineering technology. Scholarships range from $1000 to $10000 (including fellowships). In 2008, SWE disbursed more than $400,000 in scholarship money to deserving women like yourselves.
The Facts: ABM has two scholarship opportunities for women: One is for college seniors or graduate students studying computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical field. A second scholarship (First Years) is for high school seniors planning on enrolling in university for Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Software Engineering. Both scholarships offer a $10,000 reward and an invitation to either Google Scholar's Retreat at the Googleplex or Google FUSE in Seattle.
The Facts: Running your own business? This award is for entrepreneur girls between the ages of 12 and 18. Prizes totaling $30,000 are divided between three winners and twelve finalists. Funds can be used towards your future business ventures or to help you save for college - you get to decide.
The Facts: Each year, AWS grants scholarships ranging from $500 to $1000 to 25 women studying in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math. Applicants must be either undergraduate sophomores or juniors or doctoral students.
The Facts: SMART, which stands for Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation, is a part of the National Defense Education Program. The program "aims to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories" and, as such, the scholarship covers not only full tuition for undergraduate or graduate study, but also includes internship opportunities at amazing state-of-the-art facilities.
Most of these scholarships open in early fall, so bookmark your favorites and get prepared to do some serious work filling out forms, writing short essays, and getting recommendations. And, if nothing here strikes your interest, remember that this is just a sampling - there are many more opportunities out there for Nerd Girls of all ages and disciplines. Just Googling "Women Scholarships" or "Science Scholarships" will bring up a number of cites devoted to listing the latest scholarships. For additional help, you can always contact your high school guidance counselor or college advisor.
Good luck!
