Amazon Announces $10 Million For Underserved High School Students To Study Science

Amazon has announced a new program awarding underserved students $10 million in scholarships to pursue post-secondary education and study IT.

The Amazon Future Engineer program will provide 250 students with $40,000 each and a paid internship, AfroTech reports.

The childhood-to-career pipeline was established to encourage students in underserved areas across the country and give them life-changing skills through computer science.

“Each year, we are inspired by the talent, work ethic, and passion of our Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipients. We’re thrilled to expand our commitment to $10 million in scholarship funds to help 250 students from historically underrepresented and underserved communities pursue a computer science education,” Victor Reinoso, Global Director of Amazon’s philanthropic education initiatives, said in a statement.

“These opportunities are imperative to building a diverse tech industry and enriching our communities. These students have fulfilling careers ahead, and we look forward to seeing them at their Amazon internships and all they will achieve.”

Since 2019, the tech giant has awarded $22 million in scholarships to 550 students worldwide.

Applications for Amazon’s Future Engineer Program will open this fall. To be eligible, students must be high school seniors who have completed or are currently enrolled in computer science courses and plan to attain a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or another computer science-related field of study.

Those who haven’t taken a formal computer science course can take an assessment test.

In addition to helping young students get a leg up on their careers, Amazon has committed millions to underserved students, providing skills training for those who are considering a career change, venture capital investments for Black tech entrepreneurs, and its Black Business Accelerator to help small Black businesses thrive.

Black Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population but less than 10% of the U.S. tech workforce.