Caifornia State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) computer science majors Dominique Dalanni and Gary Walker join chemistry major Alice Heng as recipients of the 2015 Edison STEM Scholarship, which helps low-income students and women studying in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields offset the high cost of attending college.
Since 2009, Edison International has given almost $56 million to education programs to help minority, low-income and underrepresented students excel in the STEM fields. As one of the most ethnically diverse universities in the Western United States, the vast majority of CSUDH’s students come from the precise communities the scholarship was designed to help support.
CSU Dominguez Hills and its students have benefitted from Edison’s support in a variety of ways for more than 10 years: through a CSU system-wide STEM scholarship program open to CSUDH students, STEM scholarships specifically for CSUDH students, and as a president-level sponsor for the President’s Scholarship Reception.
“Edison takes great pride in its partnership with Cal State Dominguez Hills in helping address the academic and social needs of its students and the communities in which they live,” said Tammy Tumbling, director of Philanthropy and Community Investment for Southern California Edison. “Education is one of our top priorities at Edison and we want to strategically align our funding with organizations that are supporting education for underserved populations.”
With the financial support of the Edison scholarship, Dalanni feels her 4.0 GPA will be much “more sustainable.”
“I felt relieved, excited, and blessed [to receive the scholarship]. I still have a couple of years left until I receive my bachelor’s degree, and I am already thousands of dollars in debt because of student loans,” said Dalanni, a Long Beach resident who attends CSUDH full-time. “The Edison STEM scholarship will help me be able to just focus on my classes rather than financial burdens, and for that I am extremely grateful.”
Like Dalanni, Walker also looks forward to the financial assistance the Edison scholarship will provide. Walker said he has always had an interest in computers but that money had been an issue in going to college to study computer science. He wasn’t able to enroll right out of high school, because despite being on his own and needing financial assistance, he could not qualify for aid due to his parents’ income level. Years later he was able to receive financing and enrolled at CSUDH.
“I took a couple classes and realized that I enjoyed school, and I was pretty good at it. That was four years ago and I will be finishing up [my bachelor’s degree] in 2016,” said Walker. “My burdens have become much lighter now [with the scholarship], as money was my greatest burden. Thanks to this scholarship I will be able to hit the ground running when I am done with my degree.”
Click here learn more about the Edison STEM Scholarship and its requirements, or call (310) 243-3691.
