Mississauga students win $30,000 engineering scholarships from Amazon
Published August 31, 2022 at 1:33 pm
Two Mississauga high school graduates have earned $30,000 scholarships from Amazon Canada to help them pursue engineering careers.
Ayaan Dada, a St. Francis Xavier Secondary School graduate now studying computer science at the University of Waterloo, and Glenforest Secondary School grad Savithru Kannuri, who’s enrolled in the University of Toronto’s life sciences program, are among this year’s Canada-wide recipients of the Amazon Future Engineer Canada scholarships.
The Amazon university scholarship program seeks to remove the financial burden for exceptional computer science and engineering students from underserved and underrepresented communities.
Now in its second year, the annual program awarded 10 graduating high school students this year from Ontario, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
The $30,000 will help cover university tuition over four years for the winners, who also receive the opportunity to complete a paid summer internship at one of Amazon’s Canadian Tech Hubs.
Amazon officials say winners were selected based on their exceptional academic performances and leadership in school, work and community activities.
Videos
According to Amazon, Dada is a “dedicated volunteer with Canada Learning Code and the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance, and is head of the Homework Help program for refugee and immigrant students in his community.”
Kannuri, meanwhile, was “an active member of the Peer Helpers club throughout high school and helped organize an annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) conference at his school by coordinating the experts and engaging other aspiring STEM students to attend.”
Amazon officials say this year’s scholarship winners have demonstrated passion, resilience and commitment to the field of computer science.
“At Amazon, fostering diversity in the Canadian tech sector starts with ensuring that students from all backgrounds are able to discover computer science and pursue post-secondary education, focusing on their studies instead of financial concerns,” said Susan Ibach, head of Amazon Future Engineer Canada.
Dada excelled in math and computer science in high school and was also recognized for his work supporting other young people with a passion for technology.
“By working with Canada Learning Code and becoming a web developer for a non-profit promoting STEM education to youth, I was able to discover software’s ability to create change on a larger scale,” he said.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising