Four APS Students Receive $40,000 Scholarship and Internship Offer from Amazon to Pursue Undergraduate Degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Four APS seniors from H-B Woodlawn, Wakefield High School and Washington-Liberty High School have been named Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipients: Ayon Barua, H-B Woodlawn; Anfal Hosen, Wakefield High School; and Hanan Abdelbagi and Maral Ariunbayasgalan, Washington-Liberty High School.

They will each receive up to $40,000 over four years to pursue a degree in computer science or engineering at a college of their choice. They are among 400 students across the country to receive the award along with a paid internship offer at Amazon after their freshman year of college to gain hands-on, practical work experience with mentorship from Amazon leaders.

Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals, and financial need. Amazon partnered with Scholarship America to review the applications and select the 400 scholars.

Computer science is the fastest-growing profession within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected the market for computer science occupations will grow 15% between 2021 and 2031, yet only 11% of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, and only a small percentage of those come from underserved communities.

Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon’s global philanthropic computer science education initiative, aims to increase student access to computer science education. The program funds high-quality computer science curriculum and educator professional learning to help school districts implement sustainable K–12 computer science initiatives. In addition to its Scholarship program, Amazon Future Engineer offers Career Tours and project-based learning modules that bring role models to classrooms to help students explore computer science through real-world experiences.

Amazon launched the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship program in 2019, awarding hundreds of students annually with up to $40,000 over four years to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science and paid internship offers at Amazon. This year, Amazon committed up to $16 million in paid college tuition. Since the program’s inception, Amazon has awarded $66 million in scholarships to 1,650 students from historically underserved communities across the U.S.