Congrats to the Newest Winners of the WeTech Scholarships for University Women in STEM!

SAN FRANCISCO, April 11, 2017—The Institute of International Education (IIE) and Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR) announced its class of winners for the WeTech Scholarships & Internships for University Women in STEM. Fourteen women across the globe were selected to receive a scholarship to support their undergraduate studies in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and also participate in an internship at one of the global offices of a leading technology company, Juniper Networks.

Currently in its third year, this class of scholars comes from universities in India, the United States, and for the first time, students studying in Europe were also eligible to apply. Over the three-year period, twenty-five young women have been awarded WeTech scholarships and paid internships at Juniper Networks, gaining real-world experience and broadening their professional networks to ensure their success as future STEM leaders.

The statistics for young women in engineering and technology studies are bleak: just 12% of engineers are women and women hold only 26% of all tech jobs. Despite earning the majority of bachelor’s degrees, women earn fewer than 20% of computer science degrees. Empowering the next generation of women in the technology sector is critical to the global and local economies, critical to the growth of businesses, and critical to the social health of communities. Through various WeTech initiatives, IIE is working to encourage women around the world to pursue and sustain careers in STEM-related fields.The fourteen global winners who were chosen together with Juniper Networks selection committees are:

1. Adriana Amyette, Computer Science major from Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S.
2. Bhuvi Gupta, Electrical Engineering major from IIT Kanpur, India
3. Dhaarani Chandrasekaran, Electronics and Communication Engineering major from PSG College of Technology, India
4. Ganga Shinghal, Computer Science and Engineering major from Manipal Institute of Technology, India
5. Gayatri Nair, Theoretical Computer Science major from PSG College of Technology, India
6. Lara Orlandic, Electrical Engineering major from Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S.
7. Louise Heeney, Mechatronics and Robotics major from University of Leeds, U.K.
8. Mahathy Nemalikanti, Electronics and Communication Engineering major from Manipal Institute of Technology, India
9. Megan O’Connor, Computer Science major from North Carolina State University, U.S.
10. Prathibha Muralidharan, Computer Science and Engineering major from PSG College of Technology, India
11. Rajeshwari Srinivasan, Theoretical Computer Science major from PSG College of Technology, India
12. Sara Norris, Computer Science major from Georgia Institute of Technology, U.S.
13. Sophie Supple, Computer Science major from University of Leeds, U.K.
14. Srishti Bhargava, Computer and Communications major from Manipal Institute of Technology, India

The students will begin their Juniper Networks’ internships at various times throughout 2017: the participants from India began in the spring, the U.S. winners will intern in the summer and the European students will excitedly begin their internships this fall.

Kelcy Newton, a former award winner who studies computer science at the Georgia Institute of Technology, shared her experience as a summer intern at Juniper Networks in 2016: “My weeks at Juniper Networks were jam-packed with intern events, continuous coding, lunches with Juniper employees, and more opportunities than I ever could have hoped for. In three short months, I discovered a passion for the networking industry and I was given responsibilities and work that allowed me to make a significant impact.”

IIE has led numerous programs across the world that aim to increase access to education, particularly among marginalized communities. After decades of experience engaging schools, universities and governments to expand broad participation in educational opportunities, IIE launched the WeTech consortium in 2013 to engage companies in efforts that foster access to education in the global communities where they work and to build a future talent pool for their industry.

Compliments of IIE – a member of the EACCNY