From robotics, to computational biology and gene editing, to aerospace engineering, STEM fields are at the forefront of some of the most innovative advancements in our world today. STEM fields are high-paying, high-powered, and high-impact.

Unfortunately, not everyone gets the same opportunity to build careers in these fields.

In Computer Science, where the rate of job creation is 3x the national average, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that women will hold just 20% of computing jobs by 2025. This trend has gone in the wrong direction, as the number of women studying computer science has fallen steadily since the 80s. It’s no better for African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Latinos, who constitute 30% of the US population but account for just 12.5% of STEM degrees.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that women will hold just 20% of computing jobs by 2025.

The representation problem extends to the wage gap as well. Men in tech are offered higher salaries for the same roles 63% of the time, with a difference in starting salary ranging as much as 45% higher for men. Minorities, meanwhile, will earn 81-85% as much as their colleagues in the STEM workforce, on average.

While there are many systemic factors contributing to this problem, it is clear that achieving greater diversity and a more representative workforce in STEM industries is critical.

As we see stunning new headlines such as studies showing racial bias against African Americans in healthcare algorithms and facial recognition error rates more than 40x worse for black women as light-skinned men, it has never been more important that we do more to support minority women in STEM to achieve their career goals.

That’s why we’ve created the Minority Women in STEM Bi-Annual Scholarship, which will award $3,000 every 6 months to women from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM industries.

The Minority Women in STEM Bi-Annual Scholarship will award $3,000 every 6 months to women from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM industries.

Women applicants must currently be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at a 4-year, 2-year, vocational, or technical institution in the United States to be eligible. Women must either be majoring in a STEM field or be actively engaged in personal projects or jobs in the STEM field to apply.

Winners will be selected based on their drive to succeed, ambition in their field, and the impact that winning the scholarship would have for them.