Virtasant Launches Scholarship Opportunity for Underrepresented Youth

    AUSTIN, TX, September 15, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As technology continues to change how the global workforce works, there continues to be severe underrepresentation of Women, Black, Latino, or Indigenous professionals and even less self-identified as LGBTQA+ within the tech industry. In an effort to help bridge the gap between talent, opportunity, and access, Virtasant is announcing its Leaders In Technology scholarship for those who desire to pursue a career in the tech industry. This scholarship will provide new opportunities for underrepresented youth and give them the chance to pursue their dreams and earn the education they deserve to help ensure their future success.

Virtasant CEO, Michel Kearns, recognizes and commits to shifting the narrative of diversity in tech through opening doors for future leaders. "Lack of opportunity is the root cause of so many problems in the world, and this is something that we need to fix. Companies have a responsibility to help the people who are on the losing side of the current status quo."

"Both in the US and around the world, marginalized communities are impacted the most, and we have an opportunity to be a leader in supporting the people that are in underrepresented communities. Beyond our commitment to workplace equity, it's proven that diverse teams are higher-performing teams. The companies that win in the future will be those that make diversity a top priority."

Students eligible for the Future Leaders in Technology scholarship award must meet the following criteria:

• Be a high school, college, or university student pursuing a degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or other material sciences
• Be a member of an underrepresented race or ethnicity, including:
- Black or African American
- Hispanic or Latinx
- American Indian or Native American
- LGBTQA+
- Women
• Have a current minimum (unweighted) GPA of 3.5 or higher
• Either be attending a four-year accredited institution, 2-year college, vocational school, technical school, or be a high school senior planning to attend one the above

The winners of the Future Leaders in Technology scholarship will be selected twice per year (Spring and Fall semesters), with one award of $2,500 to a college or university student and two awards of $1,000 to high school seniors.

"As a Black woman, I'm happy to be part of a company that centralizes diversity and inclusion and seeks to be a leader in that work. The tech industry will only grow and evolve towards a more innovative future as it opens its doors to diverse talent. This is a step towards that future," said Ashley Simpo, Managing Editor at Virtasant.

To learn more about the Future Leaders in Technology scholarship, please visit https://www.virtasant.com/scholarship/.

About Virtasant:
Virtasant is a strategic cloud service and technology provider that specializes in helping organizations leverage the power of public cloud platforms through its mission to provide organizations with the ability to drive outcomes on demand. With a global network of over 4,000 tech professionals in over 130 countries, Virtasant is one of the world's largest fully-remote organizations. Learn more at https://www.virtasant.com/.

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