Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation

Search

MCWT and its Partners Invest in the Next Generation of Female IT Leaders

Next generation of Female IT leaders

Twenty-eight technology-oriented women received scholarships at a Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation event on June 13 at Mercedes Benz Financial Services in Farmington Hills, Mich. The women are pursuing degrees that will prepare them for future careers in areas such as cyber security, machine learning, software engineering and electrical engineering. 

Over the past 14 years, the nonprofit has awarded over $1.15 million to fuel the educational pursuits of 192 of the state’s future technology talent. A strong network of partner companies and individuals who support a diverse IT industry in Michigan make the program possible. 

“MCWT’s strategy is to educate, engage and empower girls and women including the next generation of female technology leaders, said Jane Sydlowski, MCWT president. “The scholarship program encompasses all three of these initiatives by supporting young women pursuing technology-related degrees, providing mentoring opportunities and giving them access to our powerful network of professionals.” 

MCWT’s 2019 scholarship recipients include:

Friends of MCWT Foundation Scholarship:Fizza Ahmed (Canton, Mich.), Lia Ahmed-Zaid (Saline, Mich.), Beste Aydin (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Nicole Belans (Troy, Mich.), Teresa Loria (Farmington, Mich.), Natalie Marion (Plymouth, Mich.), Rejewana Miah (Hamtramck, Mich.), Maia Mwangi (Southfield, Mich.), Huda Shulaiba (Dearborn Heights, Mich.), Samantha Souder (Shelby Township, Mich.), Lisa Tauro (Novi, Mich).

DOW Chemical MCWT Scholarship: Nicole Nelson (Fenton, Mich.), Katherine Perry (Midland, Mich.)

NITS Solutions MCWT Scholarship: Arushi Arora (Novi, Mich.)

Credit Acceptance MCWT Scholarship: Amar Dabaja (Dearborn Heights, Mich.), Himaja Motheram (Novi, Mich.)

Lear Corporation MCWT Scholarship: Megan Blaesing (Centerline, Mich.), Baylie Burkowski (Northville, Mich.), Mariam Mahmoud (Ann Arbor), Claire Yang (Troy, Mich.)

Consumers Energy MCWT Scholarship: Ayah Awadallah (Dearborn, Mich.), Aria Cusenza (East Grand Rapids, Mich.), Ketaki Gaiwad (St. Joseph, Mich.), Anne George (Novi, Mich.), Savannah Manley (Canton, Mich.), Priyal Shah (West Bloomfield, Mich.)

Yazaki MCWT Scholarship: Nikitha Chittela (Canton, Mich.)

Technosoft Corporation MCWT Scholarship: Quinna Halim (Novi, Mich.) 

University of Michigan Dearborn student and 2018-2020 scholarship recipient, Jenna Sultes, spoke to the new class of awardees. 

“The tuition provided by the scholarship program has allowed me to fully concentrate on my academic studies and my career without the loom of financial burden overhead,” Sultes remarked. “But MCWT has given me so much more than that; the organization provided me with the tools I needed to ensure that the tuition is put to good use.” 

Scholarship donors this year include MCWT partners Consumers Energy, Credit Acceptance, Dow Chemical, Lear Corporation, NiTS Solutions, Technosoft Corporation, and Yazaki. MCWT supporters also contribute to scholarships. 

The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation strives to inspire and grow girls and women in technology, aspiring to make Michigan the No. 1 state for women in technology. The organization supports Michigan’s female IT workforce, students, corporate partners, schools and the overall community with programming, scholarships, networking, learning, mentoring, and technology experiences. Find more information at www.mcwt.org and connect via LinkedIn and Facebook.

Donate to MCWT

Your donation directly supports our programs

Our partners

We work with organizations that want to see change