Your Ethnic Background Might Be Your Ticket to Scholarships and Internship Opportunities

Universities are always looking to diversify their campuses and to make their institution more accessible to STEM students of all ethnicities and economic backgrounds. For this reason, many scholarships are restricted to minority students, including Latinas, Hispanic and Black students in technology. A great number of companies, organizations and schools offer scholarships, particularly for Latinos, Black and female students in tech. Some popular organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Great Minds in STEM and Netflix offer prestigious scholarships and internship opportunities to underrepresented students. If you qualify, find how you can be rewarded for being of Black or Hispanic descent when it comes to supporting your higher education dreams.

Some Hispanic and Latino scholarships may require an essay but the common thread is that they are available to those with Hispanic, African-American or Latino bloodlines, so take a moment to celebrate your heritage and cultural uniqueness by applying for college scholarships!

Below are examples of Hispanic, Latinos and Black scholarships in science, technology and engineering that vary in criteria and submission requirements. For additional information about scholarships based on ethnicity or other criteria, you may conduct a free scholarship search at IOScholarships.com.

Hola at Microsoft Deadline March 15^th, 2023

This year, HOLA Scholarship will award five scholarships totaling US $55,000: Two (2) $20,000 scholarships distributed over 4 years ($5,000 per year, renewable) Three (3) $5,000 one-time scholarships. As part of the application process, you will be asked to submit the following: High school transcript. One letter of recommendation. One 1500-character essay describing how you plan to engage in the technology industry. Extracurricular activities including school, community, and work-related activities.

Eligibility requirements

To be considered for a HOLA Scholarship, you must: Be a US-based high school senior of Hispanic and Latinx descent (for example, Mexican American, Cuban American, Brazilian, etc) of an accredited organization. Plan to attend a two or four-year college or university in the US. Plan to pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, business management, marketing, or have a declared major. Demonstrate leadership skills and a passion for helping your community within your school, neighborhood, family, or an organization. Demonstrate leadership at a school or in the community. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Require financial assistance to attend college. U.S. citizen, permanent legal resident, or DACA.

Blacks at Microsoft Deadline March 15, 2023

Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) is a company-sponsored employee network dedicated to supporting the continued growth and development of black employees at Microsoft Corporation.

Application Criteria

Applicants for the Blacks at Microsoft Scholarship must be high-school seniors of African descent (for example, African-American, African, or Ethiopian); must plan to attend a four-year college or university in the fall of the year following high-school graduation and plan to pursue a bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, computer information systems, or select business programs (such as finance, business administration, or marketing). A minimum 3.3 GPA and financial need is required.

Great Minds in STEM Deadline April 30^th, 2023

The intent of the GMiS Scholars Program is to increase the persistence to graduation among underrepresented and underserved STEM college students. The financial support helps these students focus on their coursework so they can graduate on time, enter a STEM profession, continue to serve as a role model for future generations, and secure the country’s place as the finest technological leader in the world.

Application Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate merit through academic achievements, leadership and campus/community activities Applicants must be pursuing a science, technology, engineering, or math degree. Applicants must have an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for merit-based scholarships. Applicants may have a minimum 2.5 GPA for non-merit-based donor scholarships. Applicants must be of Hispanic descent and/or must demonstrate significant leadership or service within the underserved community. Applicants may be enrolled full-time or part-time at the time of application and the time of the scholarship award. Applicants must be enrolled in a STEM or health-related undergraduate or graduate program for the upcoming fall semester, at an accredited 2-yr or 4-yr college/university in the U.S. or its territories. If you have already earned a bachelor’s degree and are seeking support for another bachelor’s degree OR you have already earned a master’s degree and are seeking support for another master’s degree OR you have already earned a doctoral degree and are seeking support for another doctoral degree, you are ineligible to apply to this scholarship program.

HITEC Foundation Deadline April 14^th, 2023

Scholarships of up to $5,000 are available on a competitive basis, to: High school seniors Undergraduate students Community college students transferring to four-year universities Graduate Students DACA (Deferred Actions for Early Childhood Arrivals) students.

Application Criteria

Candidates for the HITEC Foundation Scholarship Program must meet the following eligibility requirements: Be of Hispanic heritage (i.e., at least one parent must be of Hispanic descent). Be a graduating high school senior, completed GED student, or current undergraduate/graduate student. Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale Major or intend on majoring in Technology or an approved technology-related major. See attachment for technology-related majors. Be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident; or be eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status.

STEM INTERNSHIPS FOR LATINAS, 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.

Below we’ve highlighted some of the many internships for minorities in STEM fields.

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.

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 NBC News.