DATE: April 14, 2008
CONTACT:
Yvon Feaster, (864) 656-2846
yfeaste@clemson.edu
CONTACT:
Sally Wahba, (864) 656-1061
sallyw@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Alex Hill, (864) 656-2061
ahill2@clemson.edu
Two Clemson students receive Google scholarships
CLEMSON – Two students from Clemson University’s School of Computing received the 2008 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship: Sally Wahba, a second year Ph.D. student from Cairo, Egypt; and Yvon Feaster, a senior in computer information systems from Clemson.
The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship was created to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and become active role models and leaders. Scholarships are awarded based on the strength of candidates' academic background and demonstrated leadership. Wahba and Feaster both received a $10,000 scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year. Remaining finalists received $1,000 each.
“I didn't expect to get the scholarship because all those who received it from previous years were from the top 10 universities, and less than 10 percent of those who apply received it,” said Wahba. “I was extremely happy when a representative from Google called me to inform me I received the scholarship. It was a great sense of satisfaction and I'm assured that I'm going in the right path in my career.”
In order to receive the scholarship, applicants must fulfill the following requirements: be entering their senior year of undergraduate study or be enrolled in a graduate program in 2008-2009 at a university in the United States; major in computer science, computer engineering or a related technical field; be enrolled in full-time study in 2008-2009; and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5.
“I feel extremely honored to have been selected for this scholarship. Anita Borg was a champion advocate for women in the science and technology field, and I commend Google for honoring her life work with these scholarships,” Feaster said.