Technology
How To Write a Strong Scholarship Application for Grace Hopper Celebration GHC 2023
Advice from a former Scholar and Scholarship Reviewer on how to make your application stand out
In 2016, when transitioning from Marketing to Technology and starting my Masters in Computer Science at Jackson State University, I felt very isolated.
I was one of the three women in my class (I shared more about my experience in this article), and I realized that if I only relied on my colleagues and peers, I would never encounter my sense of belonging.
I started applying for conferences. Of all types and formats.
I went to IEEE Computer Engineering Conference, WiCys Conference for Women in Cybersecurity, MCBIOS in Bioinformatics, and many others. I was exploring the field like crazy. By doing that, I found my own way of exploring technology. I ended up finding my path and landing a job in Solutions Engineering (I talked more about that role in this article).
My mom used to joke I was applying for more conferences than we had days on the calendar.
Truth be told, I was trying to find my path, and I wanted to feel that I belonged in this whole new world that was in front of me.
I then found out about GHC — the conference gathered around 12,000 women at the time. Today, they are expecting to reach more than 30,000. From all over the world. How exciting is it?
I still have my acceptance e-mail letter, as you can see below. It gives me joy to remember that conference and that opportunity. It was through GHC that I got my full-time job at Dell, which led me to my work visa, which led me to my current permanent resident status.
In 2018, 2019 and 2020, I was a Scholarship Reviewer for GHC, and I was able to read stories about women from all over the world. It is empowering and inspiring reading these stories. I get emotional every time.
In today’s article, I want to share some tips on how to write a concise and strong application to apply for Grace Hopper Celebration 2023.
Grace Hopper Celebration 2023
On the official website, you can find eligibility and benefits of receiving the scholarship. It is important to remember that other companies like Microsoft, Google, and NetApp, among others.
For example, in this article I wrote on LinkedIn in 2018, I shared many companies that offer GHC scholarships. For this year, I recommend you keep your eyes open to upcoming opportunities. I will make sure to share them as well on my social media.
The benefits of the scholarship include the following:
- GHC 23 virtual registration
- AnitaB Membership benefits (there’s a portal where you can connect with other women, find career and tech resources, job boards, and more)
- Access to Mentorship Programs
- Networking opportunities
- All the benefits you can find on their website
Questions
After you create your profile, you will find the questions below:
- Tell us about yourself. Why are you interested in being a part of the AnitaB.org Scholarship Program? Please keep this response to 250 words.
- How will the AnitaB.org Scholarship program impact your personal, academic, and professional journey? Please keep this response to 250 words.
How To Write Strong and Concise Answers
To answer question #1, be brief about who you are and what you do. Remember, you will upload your resume, so do not be wordy and replicate what is already written there.
Show who you are. What you are passionate about. What you will gain from being part of one of the largest technology conferences in the world!
Think about your elevator pitch. I have a cheat sheet for the elevator pitch: you can download it here.
To answer #2, talk about the things you can leverage in the conference that will help you on your academic, professional and personal journey.
Who are the potential people you will meet there? How would you be able to bring all that knowledge back to your community? What do you expect to do after you come back from the conference?
Have these questions in mind when writing your application.
For general questions, remember you can find all the information on the GHC website. The deadline to apply is May 3, 2023, by 5 pm PDT / 8 pm EDT / 10 pm BRT.
If you have any questions, feel free to comment on this post. Your question might be someone else’s as well.
I’m running a special promotion for those attending GHC with a discount of 75% off on my mentoring session; in case you want to book, click here or below:
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