Owen Bales, a senior at Richlands High School has been named an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipient and will receive up to $40,000 to pursue computer science, engineering, or related degrees at the college or university of his choice. He is one of 23 students from Virginia and 400 nationwide to receive this award this year, along with a paid internship offer at Amazon after his freshman year of college. Owen plans to attend Harvard University.
The Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship gives eligible scholars the opportunity to gain hands-on, practical work experience with mentorship from Amazon leaders. Through Amazon Future Engineer, the company’s global philanthropic education initiative, each student will also receive skills development and mental health resources, access to an emergency grant fund for unexpected financial obligations that might prevent them from attending school, and networking opportunities with their peers and Amazon employees.
Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals, and financial need. Amazon partnered with Scholarship America to review the applications and select the 400 scholars.
“Our scholarship recipients’ unwavering dedication to academic excellence and their passion for leveraging technology to uplift communities is truly inspiring,” said Victor Reinoso, global director of education philanthropy at Amazon. “By investing in computer science education for students from historically underrepresented and underserved communities, we’re not only empowering them to pursue rewarding careers but also equipping them with skills to drive innovation that will shape a more equitable and sustainable future for generations to come.”
"It is very exciting to see Owen receive the recognition and scholarship awards he so richly deserves! He will represent Richlands High School and Tazewell County very well,” says Dr. Christopher Stacy, superintendent of Tazewell County Public Schools. Richlands High School Principal Rickie Vencill added, “Owen is an outstanding student and will do great things at Harvard University.”
Computer science is the fastest-growing profession within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) projected the market for computer science occupations will grow 23% between 2022 and 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations. Additionally, BLS reported the median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $100,530 in May 2022, more than twice the median annual wage for all occupations.
Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon’s global philanthropic computer science education initiative, aims to increase student access to computer science education. The program funds high-quality STEM curriculum and educator professional learning to help school districts implement sustainable K-12 computer science initiatives. In addition to the scholarship program, Amazon Future Engineer offers virtual career tours and project-based learning modules that bring role models to classrooms to help students explore careers of the future through real-world experiences.
Amazon launched the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship program in 2019, awarding hundreds of students annually with up to $40,000 over four years to pursue an undergraduate science or engineering degree. Amazon Future Engineer has committed $54 million in scholarships to 1,350 students from underserved and historically underrepresented communities across the U.S. since the program’s inception.
