Arlington ISD Student Wows Amazon, Receives A $40K Scholarship

DALLAS, TX —James Martin High Senior Chiji Mgbahurike is one of 100 high school seniors from underserved communities across the country this year who will receive an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship. The award includes a $40,000 in scholarship form to study computer science at a university of his choosing and a paid internship at Amazon after his freshman college year.

An immigrant from Nigeria, Mgbahurike has made education his focus. “In order to extend my learning capabilities outside of the classroom, there is but one major thing that I have done: being involved with extracurricular activities," he said in a statement following the award's announcement.

"This allowed me to create projects and overcome obstacles in a unique way I’d never seen in school. I have been involved with RoboBoat, CyberPatriot, Technology Students of America (TSA), and UIL as means of educating myself in more nuanced and diverse topics,” Mgbahurike added. He has made computer science a central focus since his freshman year.

Of particular value, along with the scholarship, is a guaranteed paid internship offer at Amazon after his freshman year of college to gain vital real-world work experience. Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals and financial need.

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Winners this year were chosen from among thousands of applicants and include seven students from Texas. Overall, there were 51 female and 49 male students. Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals and financial need.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that from 2019 to 2029, the market for computer science professionals will grow 11 percent faster than the average for all occupations. In 2020, the median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $91,250. That's more than twice the median annual wage for all occupations in the country.

Computer science is also the fastest-growing profession within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field. But only eight percent of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, and a smaller percentage of those emerge from underserved backgrounds. Students from such environments are 8 to 10 times more likely to pursue college degrees in computer science if they have taken computer science courses in high school.

James Hovey, an instructor at AISD STEM Academy/Martin, has been Mgbahurike's advanced computer science teacher over the past four years. “Chiji has taken advantage of every extracurricular learning opportunity,” says Hovey. “He has always loved technology and his skills have grown far beyond what is covered in basic high school classes through these challenges. He has focused mainly on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity since his junior year.”

Arlington ISD superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos amplified Hovey's praises. “Chijoke is a great representative of the Arlington ISD. He’s worked hard throughout his time in the Arlington ISD and at our STEM Academy. This honor is a great reward for his diligence. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.”

The Amazon Future Engineer initiative is a childhood-to-career computer science education program intended to inspire and educate millions of students globally, including hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S. each year. Students explore computer science through school curriculum and project based learning using code to make music, program robots and solve problems.

Amazon Future Engineer also awards 100 students each year with four-year, $40,000 scholarships and paid internships at Amazon, and celebrates teachers with professional development and $25,000 Teacher of the Year Awards. Amazon Future Engineer is part of Amazon’s $50 million commitment to STEM and computer science education. The program is available in the U.S., UK, Canada and France.

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