PG&E is offering more than $500,000 in scholarships to help students in South Valley and beyond offset their costs for higher education.
One pool of funds totaling $350,000, provided by the PG&E Foundation, is part of the utility company’s annual Better Together STEM Scholarship Program that offers scholarships for students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines, says a press release from PG&E.
Through the Better Together program, PG&E will fund 60 scholarships in the amounts of $10,000, $5,000 and $2,500 for eligible students in Northern and Central California, says the press release.
Better Together STEM scholarships are designed to give the next generation of Californians a chance to learn and succeed in higher education, and to support students who have made an impact in their community or overcome personal challenges.
“The PG&E Corporation Foundation is honored to help students as they pursue their dreams of becoming future scientists, innovators and engineers who give back to our state and communities and lay the critical building blocks for our clean energy future,” said Carla Peterman, PG&E Corporation Executive Vice President and Chair of the board of the Foundation. “For more than 10 years, we’ve been assisting students and their families who may be struggling to afford the cost of higher education—and there is no greater pride than seeing our young people blossom and thrive in their academic endeavors.”
Since 2012, the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program has awarded $7.1 million to accomplished students based on a combined demonstration of community leadership, personal triumph, financial need and academic achievement, says the press release.
PG&E is offering another $200,000 in scholarships through the company’s 11 employee resource groups (ERG) and two engineering network groups (ENG), says another press release from PG&E. These scholarships are also available to eligible students in Northern and Central California. ERG and ENG scholarship winners will receive awards ranging from $1,000-$6,000 for “exemplary scholastic achievement and community leadership.”
High school seniors as well as current college and continuing education students may apply for the ERG and ENG scholarships.
“Our ERG and ENG scholarships support the ambitions and dreams of young people in our communities,” said Marie Waugh, PG&E Vice President. “These awards help develop our future leaders and breakthrough thinkers and are part of how we’re living our purpose at PG&E—delivering for our hometowns, serving our planet, and leading with love.”
Since 1989, PG&E’s ERGs and ENGs have awarded more than $6 million in scholarships to thousands of recipients, says the release. The funds are raised entirely through employee donations, employee fundraising events and Campaign for the Community, the company’s employee giving program.
Eligibility and how to apply
The deadline to apply for the Better Together STEM as well as the ERG/ENG scholarships is March 15.
To apply online for either scholarship program, visit tinyurl.com/2p8mha9a.
The ERG/ENG scholarships are available through 13 groups: Access Network (individuals with disabilities), AAPI (Asian American, Pacific Islander), Black, Latino, Legacy (tenured coworkers), MEENA (Middle East, Europe and North Africa), National Society of Black Engineers (STEM career coworkers), NuEnergy (newer coworkers), PrideNetwork (LGBTQ+ coworkers), Samahan (Filipino), Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers (STEM career coworkers), Veterans, Women’s Network.
