BETF Announces Winners of 1st Annual Monsanto Scholarship for BDPA Students

Some companies talk the talk about promoting STEM-based advancement for BDPA student members. They talk about wanting to create the workforce of the future by supporting BDPA programs, scholarships and services.

Other companies walk the walk.

Monsanto Company walks the walk. Monsanto is a BDPA Bronze sponsor with a focused executive leadership team that is fully committed to the BDPA vision of advancing the careers of people of color in the information technology industry from the classroom to the boardroom.

One example of that commitment became obvious when Monsanto agreed to provide college scholarship funding for the first annual Monsanto Scholarship for BDPA Students. The company partnered with the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to provide $10,000 in annual scholarships to students with an interest in pursuing or continuing a 4 year academic program related to information technology.

In 2013, we are proud to announce the first-ever Monsanto Scholars ... each of whom will receive a $2,500 scholarships to assist with their studies.

1. Della Anjeh is an incoming freshman at Pomona College. She is a member of our BDPA St. Louis chapter and participated in 2011 and 2012 on the chapter's High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team. She trained for six weeks in the summer of 2011 at Monsanto world headquarters office in preparation for the 2011 National BDPA HSCC Championship. Her scholarship application included an essay entitled, 'Communication, Knowledge and Innovation: Outcomes of Technological Advancement in Agriculture'. Della is a remarkable young woman and truly deserves to be known as a 'future face of technology'. Follow Della on Twitter: @DellzBells.



2. Jala Cruz is a junior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis majoring in Informatics. She is a long-time member of our BDPA Indianapolis chapter. This is not the first that that BETF has provided college scholarship funding to Jala. She recently shared her story on the BDPA iRadio Show. I think the aspects of Jala's journey that gives us the most pleasure is her entrepreneurial efforts as the owner and publisher of her own teen magazine. Her scholarship essay was entitled, 'The Pursuit of Agricultural Technology'. Follow Jala on Twitter: @JalaCruz.


  
3. Alex Marcellus is an incoming freshman at Purdue University where he plans to major in engineering and computer science He is a new member of our BDPA Cincinnati chapter. Alex completed a stellar high school career at Summit Country Day School where he was the salutatorian while graduating with a astronomical 4.752 grade point average. His scholarship essay was entitled, 'How Information Technology Impacts Agriculture' This is another young man who deserves to be known as a 'future face of technology'.

Monsanto Company is making a statement with these three BDPA scholars. The company is showing that they want to be part of the solution. They aren't satisfied with just talking about it ... they want to do something about it. I wish that others in Corporate America will do the same! We would love to give out more college scholarships to BDPA students in 2014. What say u?