Buildium awards its first-ever Women in Technology Scholarship to a junior studying engineering at the University of Cincinnati based on her inspiring, surprising essay
Boston, Mass. (PRWEB) December 17, 2014 -- Lakshitha Rajendran, a junior majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, has won the first-ever Women in Technology Scholarship from Buildium. This fall, the company created the scholarship to support women who want to pursue a career in technology, a field historically dominated by men.
Rajendran topped a field of talented students to take home the $2,500 prize for her essay in which she answered the question: “Who — or what — inspired you to pursue a career in technology?”
Tara Connelly, a UX designer at Buildium, said "We received a lot of great applications, but Lakshitha's essay really stood out. It's inspiring to see that tomorrow's great female leaders are working to eliminate gender barriers in the tech industry."
Rajendran surprised the selection committee when she revealed her greatest inspiration to be a man, Charles Babbage, often called the “father of the computer.” In her essay, she wrote, “The fact that an ordinary person created something so amazing excites me, even to this day. It inspired me and made me dream of one day creating something so revolutionary, and thus started my appreciation of science and technology.”
The University of Cincinnati student revealed that gender stereotypes, such as “misguided notions that ‘computers are for boys’,” never steered her away from a technology career. She also said she was inspired by Ada Lovelace, described by some as the world’s first programmer, and Debbie Sterling, founder of GoldieBlox, a company that makes toys for budding female engineers.
For the whole story, read Laskshitha’s inspiring essay.
Rajendran has an exciting learning experience in mind for her scholarship prize. She said, "... for at least one semester, I can afford to look into doing a research internship instead of having to get a part-time job. I am truly grateful to Buildium for honoring me with this scholarship and for their valuable role in supporting women like me achieve their dreams in the fields of science and technology."
Buildium launched the Women in Technology Scholarship this fall to help two women per year pursue their dreams by defraying the ever-increasing cost of an undergraduate or graduate degree. Eligible students must be enrolled in a Product Design, Interaction Design, User Experience Design, Engineering, or Computer Science program at an accredited U.S. college or university.
The company awards two Women in Technology Scholarships each year, one in the fall semester, the other in the spring. The deadline for the Spring 2015 contest is April 30, 2015, and applicants can send in essays and transcripts for the spring contest beginning February 15. Before applying, please read the complete instructions and eligibility requirements.
ABOUT BUILDIUM
Buildium provides easy-to-use, affordable cloud property management software solutions to property managers and community associations. The company was founded in 2004, and today more than 9,500 customers use Buildium’s online property management software to manage nearly three-quarters of a million units in 31 countries. For more information, visit buildium.com.
Geoff Roberts, BUILDIUM LLC, http://www.buildium.com, +1 (888) 414-1933 Ext: 150, [email protected]
Share this article