UNCF/Google Scholarship

Posted by Aneto Okonkwo, Associate Product Manager

When I learned in October that Google had established a new scholarship program with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), I was excited. The number of African-Americans in the field of engineering is critically low: according to the National Science Foundation, as recently as 2003, African-Americans accounted for less than four percent of the total scientific and engineering workforce. When I was an undergrad, I applied for scholarships similar to the UNCF/Google Scholarship Program; those few opportunities were instrumental in my career development.

So it's especially meaningful that I've been able to participate in the program's review process. We will have eight U.S. undergraduate students who will each receive a $5,000 scholarship toward their 2006-2007 academic year tuition. The selected scholars will also be invited on a trip to our Mountain View headquarters this spring. While at the Googleplex they'll have the opportunity to meet each other and attend technical talks and professional development workshops, not to mention explore the San Francisco Bay area. We hope this program will encourage students to excel in their studies in years to come, inspire them to become role models and leaders, and attract more African-American students to the fields of science and technology. All congratulations to this year's winners:

• Olaniyi Bajulaiye, Benedict College
• Desmond Baldwin, Morehouse College
• Keitha Griffin, Alabama A&M University
• Jennifer Hairston, Wilberforce University
• Keith Morren, Florida Memorial University
• Derrick Nnaji, Prairie View A&M University
• Lawrence Secrease, Florida A&M University
• Shantavious Williams, Alabama A&M University