Determination and Hard-Earned Success Are Key Themes Among PG&E’s 2017 STEM Scholarship Winners
July 05 2017 - 5:10PM
Business Wire
Civil war, illness and poverty are just some of the challenges
that many of the recipients of PG&E’s 2017 Better Together STEM
Scholarship winners have overcome. And despite these challenges,
they have excelled academically and become avid community stewards.
Take for instance, Prabhjot Singh.
Prabhjot Singh spent the early years of his childhood working
shoulder to shoulder with his family in the lime-green wheat and
rice fields of India. He never dreamed that he would have the
opportunity to attend college. Now, a decade later and already a
lifetime of trial and triumph to his name, Singh will be attending
the University of California, Los Angeles with a PG&E Better
Together STEM Scholarship in hand.
“I felt many emotions when I learned that I had won the PG&E
Better Together scholarship. I felt happy, honored, proud, but most
of all, I felt relieved. I’m so relieved that this scholarship will
enable me to fully devote my time and attention to my education in
order to attain my academic goals without worrying about my
financial strains,” said Singh.
Singh is one of 20 outstanding students from Central and
Northern California receiving this year’s Better Together STEM
Scholarships. In total, PG&E is investing $400,000 in these
students’ futures. The scholarships, worth up to $5,000 a year and
renewable for four years, lift a financial burden off the students
and their families.
“PG&E is investing in promising students today because they
will be the dreamers, innovators and leaders of tomorrow. Our
educational programs are focused on building the next generation
energy workforce. In addition to providing financial support, we’re
exposing these students to potential career paths through
internship and networking opportunities,” said Travis Kiyota, vice
president of California external affairs for PG&E.
Overcoming adversity
Each PG&E scholar has surmounted daunting challenges, from
poverty to illness to breaking through language barriers. Two
examples:
San Mateo student Sethmi Kachchakaduge was
born into the Sri Lankan civil war, and in 2004 her family’s home
had been destroyed in the tsunami. In 2006, she immigrated with her
family to the United States. In between studying, competing in
robotics competitions and helping her parents file their taxes, she
created a free music camp for students who couldn’t afford lessons.
“No words can describe the gratitude I have for PG&E's kindness
and support towards my education. I have always been grateful for
the opportunities I have received since coming to America but this
is truly an unbelievable gift,” she said. Kachchakaduge will enter
her freshman year at University of California at Davis in the
fall.
Isiah Foster had always dreamed of being the
first in his family to attend college. Growing up in a
poverty-stricken neighborhood in Oakland, he knew the road would
not be easy. Losing a cousin to a senseless act of violence only
made him more determined to turn his dream into a reality and to
fight back against the violence around him by serving as a youth
leader for six years with Soldiers Against Violence Everywhere
(S.A.V.E.). Foster is now pursuing a degree in Computer Science at
Sacramento State University.
Community stewards
PG&E’s Better Together STEM Scholars were selected from more
than 1,000 applicants. They were chosen based on academics and
financial need, as well as their ability to overcome adversity and
contributions to their communities. Here’s Jenny Chiao’s story:
Jenny Chiao’s ambition is to “help reduce
negative consequences to the earth, and to facilitate positive
influences for others to follow.” As a tutor and president of her
school’s Science and Engineering club, the Santa Maria student
coordinated luncheons to give her classmates opportunities to
network with STEM professionals and learn how to present themselves
professionally.
Stellar academics
A hallmark of a PG&E scholar is a relentless pursuit of
education. Despite a myriad of challenges and obstacles, all
PG&E scholars have achieved, and continue to achieve, great
success in their academic careers. Two examples:
Fresno student Lorne Briones is a
self-described “technology geek with a knack and passion for
creating things.” The first in his family to go to college, Briones
works four jobs to pay for school. Despite the heavy workload, he
has consistently made the Dean’s List and has secured a 10-week
internship at NASA. “This scholarship is going to help me be the
best student that I can be,” he said.
Priscilla Lui from San Jose grew up repairing
broken electronics and unclogging sink pipes to help her dad, who
despite only having one arm, had a knack for fixing things. As the
first and only female member of her high school Robotics Team, she
overcame her initial self-doubt to serve as the Team Capitan. When
she noticed the lack of resources for students preparing for the
SAT, she founded an SAT Club to provide self-made lessons,
presentations and personalized study plans to low-income students.
“I am beyond grateful to PG&E for selecting me as a recipient
of this scholarship. It will enable me to dedicate 100 percent of
my efforts to doing well in school, rather than worrying about the
cost,” she said.
Since the program’s inception in 2012, the PG&E Better
Together Scholarship program has committed more than $4 million in
scholarships to students throughout Northern and Central
California. PG&E has a long history of supporting local
educational initiatives, providing nearly $80 million over the last
decade.
For individual interview requests with a PG&E scholar,
please reach out to Hailey Wilson (hxwj@pge.com). Direct quotes and
photos of scholarship winners can also be provided upon
request.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com/ and pge.com/news.
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Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyHailey Wilson, 415-973-5930
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