Hooks plans on studying computer engineering at Prairie View A&M University
The Black Girls Do Engineer (BGDE) Corporation recently awarded a $10,000 scholarship to senior member Kayla Hooks. The scholarship was awarded from the Black Girls Do Engineer Scholarship Fund to support Hooks in her computer engineering studies at Prairie View A&M University.
Each year BGDE awards a $10,000 scholarship to a junior or senior member in the program to continue pursuing education in the S.T.E.M. field. BGDE has provided $44,000 in college scholarships to its members since launching in 2019.
Last year BGDE awarded the scholarship to a junior participant, who is now pursuing a civil engineering degree at Texas A&M University at Galveston.
“The program is changing people’s lives,” said Kara Branch, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BGDE. “Some of the members are already in the workforce and in college making their dreams come true. Giving them a pathway and resources to achieve their STEM goals are the reasons why I do this work.”
Kara Branch (r), Founder and CEO of Black Girls Do Engineer Corporation, presents the BGDE Scholarship to senior member Kayla Hooks (m), with Kayla’s mom, Latoya (l).
BGDE is a non-profit organization that develops girls and young women ages 6 to 21 in all areas of S.T.E.M. The board raises money for the scholarship fund in which a scholarship is given to a selected member in the program through an application process each year.
The non-profit organization positively impacts its members, 75 percent who come from underrepresented communities, in achieving their S.T.E.M. career goals through mentoring, personal growth regimens, S.T.E.M. projects and activities, S.T.E.M. challenges, and guidance on career paths based on insight from professionals that are leaders in the S.T.E.M. industry.
Aside from giving out an annual scholarship, the organization also helps participants secure scholarships. Last year, BGDE helped one of its members secure a full-ride scholarship ($20,000 per year) to study nursing at Texas Woman’s University.
On Friday, June 23, the organization will host its inaugural Black Girls Do Engineer Day Award Gala to celebrate and uplift the extraordinary women and girls in the S.T.E.M. industry at the Wiess Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Event tickets and sponsorship packages can be purchased at https://bgde.regfox.com/black-girls-do-engineer-2023-gala. All proceeds of the event will go back into the organization.
Branch’s primary mission for her non-profit organization is to provide access, awareness, and advocate for two million Black-American girls to pursue S.T.E.M. careers by the year 2050. There are several ways to get involved as a sponsor, mentor, volunteer, or donator, by visiting www.blackgirlsdoengineer.org.