Your Diverse Background Might Be Your Ticket to Full Ride Scholarships

 The number of STEM students has grown over the last decade but unfortunately some diverse students are underrepresented in the industry.

Below are some of the biggest STEM scholarships for African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American students. Sure, they are quite competitive as the bigger the award, the bigger the competition. But if done right, you can make a very large difference in your long-term financial situation.

Thiel Foundation Fellowship Program: $100,000

The Thiel Fellowship is a two-year program for young people who want to build new things. Individuals under 23 pursuing projects in biotech, career development, economics and finance, education, energy, information technology, mobility, robotics, and space are encouraged to apply.

Hispanic Foundation Silicon Valley: $30,000

The Latinos in Technology Scholarship provides up to 100 Latino students the support they need to graduate from college. Additionally, scholarship recipients will be considered for summer internships with sponsoring corporate investors.

United Negro College Fund Scholarships: $100 Million

The largest private scholarship provider for minority students, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) awards at least $100 million in scholarships to students each year.

The Gates Scholarship: $500,000

Each year, 300 top student leaders are awarded the Gates Scholarship. This is a very competitive scholarship for exceptional, Pell-eligible, minority, high school seniors.

Most scholarship application deadlines occur typically from September through May. While this does give you some time to apply for scholarships, it still is a good idea to start searching for scholarships as early as you can. These four minority scholarships are just a few of many available at www.ioscholarships.com.

If you need more information to help you win big scholarships read the following article.

STEM INTERNSHIPS FOR HISPANICS AND BLACK STUDENTS

Statistically speaking, minorities tend to be underrepresented in STEM fields. That’s why corporations often create designated internship opportunities for minorities entering the industry. As the job market is becoming more competitive in addition to GPA and personal achievements, employers want to see applicants who have completed one or more internships.

That’s why we’ve highlighted some of the many internships for minorities in STEM fields

Facebook Software Engineer Internship

The Software Engineer Internship is available to undergraduate and graduate students who are pursuing a degree in computer science or a related field. Interns will help build the next generation of systems behind Facebook’s products, create web applications that reach millions of people, build high volume servers, and be a part of a team that’s working to help people connect with each other around the globe.

Microsoft Internship Program

For Women and Minorities this program is specifically designed for undergraduate minority college freshmen and sophomores interested in a paid summer internship in software engineering. Students must major in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related disciplines.

Minority Access Internship

The Minority Access Internship Program has internships on offered in the spring, summer and fall to college sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduates, and professionals. Interns receive pre-employment training and counseling on career choices as well as professional development, with the possibility of full-time employment after graduation.

Google Internships

Google offers rich learning experiences for college students that include pay. As a technical intern, you are excited about tackling the hard problems in technology. With internships across the globe, ranging from Software Engineering to User Experience, Google offers many opportunities to grow with them.

BIG TICKET STEM SCHOLARSHIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Your Diverse Background Might Be Your Ticket to Full Ride Scholarships

The number of STEM students has grown over the last decade but unfortunately some diverse students are underrepresented in the industry. 

Below are some of the biggest STEM scholarships for African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American students. Sure, they are quite competitive as the bigger the award, the bigger the competition. But if done right, you can make a very large difference in your long-term financial situation. Before applying check out the difference between scholarships and grants.

INFORMATION ABOUT GRANTS

Eligibility for a grant is based on demonstrated financial need, which is the difference between the college’s cost of attendance (COA) and the expected family contribution (EFC). Colleges and universities use the EFC to determine eligibility for institutional need-based aid.

Eligibility for state grants, like the Cal Grants and New York TAP Grants, often involves an income cutoff. Many states also award financial aid to students who are residents of their states and offer programs such as the Tuition Exchange Program that allow residents to attend institutions in another state at the in-state tuition cost or a discounted cost.

To apply for grants, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.ed.gov as soon as possible on or after October.

What are student loans?

There are two types of school loans for student borrowers: federal student loans and private student loans.

Federal student loans are disbursed by the U.S. Department of Education. Student borrowers qualify for either subsidized or unsubsidized loans. Federal student loans are the rock stars of the student loan world for one simple reason: lower, fixed interest rates. However, federal student loans have both annual and aggregate limits. 

So, even with scholarships and grants, federal student loans may not be enough to cover your entire college education. If that’s the case, private student loans may be your next best option.

Private student loans are given out by banks, credit unions, and online lenders. Interest rates on private student loans tend to be higher, and many don’t offer students the same protections as federal student loans, such as grace periods, income-based repayment options, and postponement options.

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María Trochimezuk

Founder IO Scholarships

Her determination and hard work paid off as she won grants and scholarships to pay for her entire education. In realizing how time consuming and complicated the process of finding scholarships for STEM diverse students was, María Fernanda created IO Scholarships to make things much easier. She learned first-hand to find, apply for and win scholarships and became an advocate promoting scholarships nationwide.

“IOScholarships was inspired by my own experience as I was very fortunate to access scholarships to attend prestigious universities and realized that more could be done to support minority students especially now as STEM education becomes more important to workforce opportunities,” said María Fernanda Trochimezuk, Founder of IO Scholarships. “IO Scholarships will not only help underrepresented students find scholarships, but level the playing field so all students have the opportunity to achieve their education goals.”

To read the entire article visit Para Todos Magazine