WOMEN IN STEM SCHOLARSHIP 2020
We’re excited to launch our Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Scholarship Program, and honor the United Nation’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
In keeping with MPOWER’s commitment to empower high-potential global citizens to realize their educational aspirations—and become tomorrow’s leading scientists and innovators —this scholarship program will focus on women who will use their STEM degree to benefit society and the planet and who have the potential to serve as role models and advocates for women in STEM.
As a certified B Corporation (social enterprise) and the leading American provider of education loans to international students, MPOWER has long been focused on increasing access to higher education for women from emerging markets. MPOWER’s interviews with borrowers indicate that women in emerging markets are less likely than their male counterparts to receive financial support for higher education from their families. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the 2015-2016 academic year (the last year for which data was available), 32 percent of STEM degrees in the U.S. were awarded to women. In addition, the Society of Women Engineers found that gender inequities are especially pronounced in engineering and computer science, with just 20 percent of bachelor’s degrees in engineering and computer science held by women.
For MPOWER’s CEO and co-founder Manu Smadja, these statistics represent a social challenge to address.“It’s critical for us as a society to have a meaningful representation of women shaping the science and technology of tomorrow. The world may look a lot different if we do a better job at enabling female talent to shape the technologies transforming healthcare, education, transportation, or cities for instance. By helping talented female students study and work in North America, we’re helping close the gender gap in the STEM workforce,” said Smadja. “But we’d like to do much more, and starting this new scholarship program is yet another way to level the playing field.”
What are the requirements?