With college students gearing up for the fall semester, AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) is offering financial assistance to Hawaii’s top STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students.
The AFCEA is a nonprofit membership organization with a mission to advance information technology, communications and electronic capabilities among the military, government and industry communities.
In addition, the organization will offer STEM grants to help provide support for STEM programs for Hawaii's K-12 students.
Linda Newton, the AFCEA Hawaii chapter president, told Big Island Now that the objective was to cultivate students interested in cyber education as advocates in the field.
“Our goal is to promote STEM and cyber education for all students based in Hawaii,” she told Big Island Now. "We strongly believe in the value of STEM education from kindergarten to postgraduate levels.”
AFCEA Hawaii STEM scholarships are merit-based. Students can apply online at ScholarsApp.
Among the scholarships offered are: the $5,000 Donna Russell Teaching Scholarship, the $4,000 Col. Bill Haney Memorial Scholarship, the $4,000 Capt. Ken Wiecking Scholarship, the $4,000 Capt. Jim Hickerson Scholarship, the $4,000 MG Rocky Triantafellu Memorial Scholarship, the $4,000 MG Eugene Renzi Memorial Scholarship, the $5,000 LTG Thomas Rienzi Memorial Scholarship, the $4,000 ADM Dick Macke Scholarship, the $3,000 Bob Ventura Cyber Security and Intelligence Memorial Scholarship, and the $3,000 Mel Ing Memorial Scholarship.
The $3,000 Honolulu Community College/UH West Oahu Campus Scholarship is open to students who are enrolling in a two-year program.
“We have been blessed to be able to support local students through college scholarships and provide STEM grants to teachers and organizations supporting K-12 students. We want to help build the cyber leaders and technologists of the future,” Newton told Big Island Now.
In 2020, 41 Hawaii-based students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) fields were awarded a total of $120,500.