She belongs in STEM

University is about discovering your potential – gaining new knowledge, mining your abilities and finding a way to share them with the world.

For young women entering the technology sector, this journey can be daunting. While they pursue their passions and interests, they are less likely than their male counterparts to meet mentors who look like them, or see themselves represented in industry leaders.

Our friends at Avanade Inc. were all too familiar with the issue. Dedicated to making a human impact, Avanade firmly believes that people are at the core of all their innovations.

Those people should properly represent the society they serve.

In 2019, the company established the Avanade Inc. Women in Technology Scholarships, to support five female students in engineering and computer science programs every year. The scholarships provide each student with $14,000, which can be a life-changing amount for many students. Recipients are also invited to join mentorship programs, events and more to gain new skills and inspiration for their future careers.

We hope the scholarships will give these five women a platform and latitude to accelerate their lives and ambitions... They are bright, enthusiastic and will likely be future CEOs, founders of companies and social enterprises.

ANDREA RICHARDSON, Director of Business HR at Avanade Canada

“Avanade is a company who lives its commitment to diversity and helps bring it to life at a grass-roots level,” says Andrea Richardson, Director of Business HR for Avanade Canada. “We hope the scholarships will give these five women a platform and latitude to accelerate their lives and ambitions. We have been fortunate over the last year to have them engaged as co-op students, as speakers at our IWD celebration, as participants in our yearly intern conference and upcoming community events. They are bright, enthusiastic and will likely be future CEOs, founders of companies and social enterprises.”