$40K Amazon Scholarships Awarded To 2 Future UCSC Students

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Fourteen students from Bay Area communities that have historically been marked as underserved and underrepresented will receive a $40,000 scholarship from Amazon to study computer science, the company announced.

Students will receive the funds over four years to study at a college of their choice beginning this fall.

Two of the students will use their scholarships at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Albert Chang of Cupertino High School and Giovanni Hernandez of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo have both committed to UCSC.

After their freshman year of college, they will be eligible to get a paid 12-week internship at Amazon Lab126 to get hands-on experience and mentorship from Amazon leaders. The lab is known for innovations such as the Amazon Echo and Kindle e-readers.

Awards are given based on a variety of criteria, including academic achievement, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals, financial need, and demonstrated interest and exemplary skill in hardware, robotics, and/or mechanical engineering, according to Amazon.

“We are inspired by the talent and work ethic of our Amazon Future Engineer HDE Scholarship recipients, and look forward to seeing them at their Amazon internships,” said Victor Reinoso, global director of Amazon’s philanthropic education initiatives. “These opportunities are imperative to help students understand career possibilities at a place like Amazon and conceptualize their journey to the tech industry.”

The new scholarship is the latest effort from Amazon Future Engineer, the company’s philanthropic computer science education program.

Below is a complete list of the award recipients.

Amazon Future Engineer’s 2022 Hardware Design & Engineering Scholars:
● Iman Burdine, Alameda, CA
Encinal High School
Committed to San Francisco State University
● Rodrigo Castro-Ruiz, San Jose, CA
Menlo Atherton High School
Committed to San José State University
● Albert Chang, Cupertino, CA
Cupertino High School
Committed to University of California, Santa Cruz
● Marcellina Chang, Daly City, CA
Westmoor High School
Committed to Stanford University
● Angel Hernandez Vega, Daly City, CA
Jefferson High School
Committed to University of California, Davis
● Giovanni Hernandez, San Mateo, CA
Junipero Serra High School
Committed to University of California, Santa Cruz
● Asilah Maryam, Fremont, CA
American High School
Committed to University of California, Los Angeles
● Jimin Park, Los Altos, CA
Los Altos High School
Committed to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
● Elisa Perez Massella, Mountain View, CA
Los Altos High School
Committed to San José State University
● Ria Rajput, Palo Alto, CA
Henry M. Gunn High School
Committed to University of California, Davis
● Jasmine Tostado, San Jose, CA
Eastside College Preparatory School
Committed to Stanford University
● Victor Wong, Daly City, CA
Westmoor High School
Committed to San José State University
● Wenhao Xu, Fremont, CA
American High School
Committed to Johns Hopkins University
● Diego Zepeda, East Palo Alto, CA
East Palo Alto Academy
Committed to De Anza Community College