Nadella Scholarship Recipients
The Anu and Satya Nadella Scholarship is specifically for students who graduate from Milwaukee high schools and provides financial and academic support and covers tuition, fees, room and board for up to five years.
Each recipient is assigned a dedicated success coach, an academic counselor and a peer mentor, and is provided additional tutoring and support opportunities to lead to successful student outcomes.
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Meet Our First Cohort
Aden Sengsouvanh
High School: Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School
Intended Major: Computer Science
Amya Camberos
High School: Milwaukee High School of the Arts
Intended Major: Computer Science
Vanessa Meza
High School: Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School
Intended Major: Computer Science
Dylan Powalisz
High School: Audubon Technology & Communication High School
Intended Major: Computer Science
Ignacio Vega Rivera
High School: Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School
Intended Major: Computer Science
Josephine Andersen
High School: Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School
Intended Major: Computer Science
Joshua Thaisananikone
High School: Riverside University High School
Intended Major: Computer Science
Najeeb Mavrakis
High School: Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School
Intended Major: Information Technology Management
Robert Jones
High School: Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy
Intended Major: Computer Science
Questions?
Aden
I grew up in an Asian American household in Milwaukee. A curious child, I was interested in astronomy, nature and paleontology. My STEM interests translated into classes in computer science and web design in high school. I enjoyed working with code and designing programs and websites. The bigger the problem, the more I enjoyed solving it. I participated in cross-country and track my freshman and sophomore years and appreciated the discipline and challenge that brought. I had an apprenticeship in WE Energies where I helped design blueprints for gas services. While I learned a lot during this time, I decided not to stay because I wanted to pursue my passion in computer science at UWM. I chose UWM because of its diverse community and the extensive resources it provides to students in computer science, such as internship opportunities.
Amya
I am the youngest in my family and the first to attend college. Although we didn’t have much growing up, my family instilled in me the importance of hard work and creativity. My family is my foundation. I will be the first in my family to have the opportunity to develop myself, find my sense of purpose and push myself to my highest potential. I look forward to learning more about computer science, as well as life as an adult. I have a variety of interests: my primary hobbies are visual arts – painting, drawing and photography. I won a silver medal in photography in the National 2020 Scholastic Art and Writing competition and 2018-2019 Best of Show of St. Anna’s African American in Our Community Art showcase. I chose UWM because of the many opportunities it offers. I want to pursue a degree in technology so I can bring my perspective as a black female to this field and help promote diversity.
Vanessa
I am a first-generation college student. I love to read. I was always interested in science, but when I took my first computer science class, I fell in love with coding, and this has been a focus for me ever since. My mission is to obtain my bachelor’s degree in computer science at UWM, to promote diversity in STEM and to serve as a representative of Mexican women in the STEM community worldwide. Growing up in Milwaukee, I have had a lot of contact with UWM over the years. It was the first college campus I ever set foot on, and I made it a goal then to attend school here. I look forward to having some internships while studying. After graduation I want to work for a big tech company such as Apple, Google or Microsoft.
Dylan
I grew up with a disability in a family without much money, but I haven’t let anything slow me down from fulfilling my dreams of going to college to study computer science. I have been fascinated by computers since I was a little kid. I grew up playing video games, which made me want to learn how the technology behind them works. I have always absorbed new information like a sponge and can’t wait to learn more in college. UWM has already played a role in my education. In middle school, I was in an extracurricular program called Smart Spaces that took field trips to campus, and in high school I enrolled in a UWM intro to computer science class. I love the campus, which is close to my family in my amazing home state of Wisconsin. Picking UWM was a no-brainer for me.
Ignacio
I was fortunate to go to one of the biggest of Milwaukee Public Schools, where I could pursue my interests in piano and other musical instruments, as well as tennis, soccer, competitive swimming and the Japanese language. I want to learn more about robotics and computer coding. Programming languages have limitless uses, and I enjoy the creative freedom of coding. I hope college will help me narrow down my choice of field within endless possibilities of computer science. In high school, I took three classes at UWM, which helped me decide to come here. I’m looking forward to joining academic and coding clubs as well as intramural sports in college to meet others who share my passions. I’ll be close to my family in Milwaukee, but I am also hoping to study abroad in Japan to continue learning the language. I want to experience the Japanese culture and learn more about their technology industry.
Josephine
I have been drawn to computer science since I developed an interest in video-game design in middle school. I originally focused on visual arts in high school and learned Photoshop and animation so that I could design characters and animate my own games. When I was a junior, I transferred to Reagan High School because it offered classes on Python and Java, and I wanted to learn more about how to program games. I started to focus on coding in my free time, and now I am looking forward to meeting other student programmers at UWM. I know that I want to pursue both visual art and computer science in college. I am excited to explore the career path suited to my passions and establish what I want my future to look like.
Joshua
I grew up in a Laotian immigrant family in Milwaukee’s Washington Park neighborhood, where I was involved in community service in high school. Improving my community is personal for me; I went to school with more than a few kids who had lost family members to gun violence. As a member of the National Honor Society, I raised money for domestic violence support organizations and I also volunteered with REDgen, a mental health advocacy group. I hope to stay in the Milwaukee area to be near my parents and work as a computer programmer at a local company. UWM seemed like a great fit for me. Not only do I get to stay in my community and receive financial aid to help me focus on my studies, but I also get to work with professors who are experts in their fields, and I am looking forward to getting involved in student organizations on campus. With nearly 300 student groups, it seems like there’s an organization for everybody.
Najeeb
I come from a UWM family. Three of my older brothers are Panthers; one has a business degree, and the two others went for information technology management, which drew me to the program. I would hear them talk about what they were studying at UWM, and I wanted to learn more. School hasn’t always been easy for me. My parents are from Libya, and I grew up speaking Arabic, so I struggled to keep up with English-language instruction when I started school. But I love learning, and I want to know more about how computers and their components are made. In college, I hope to take advantage of UWM’s internship opportunities to get hands-on experience in information technology, and I am also looking forward to getting involved with student clubs on campus to meet other people who share my interests.
Robert
I am the first person in my family to attend college. My parents and my older brother have taught me the value of hard work. Even though I wasn’t the best student as a young child, I realized that I wanted more for myself and that I wanted to make my family proud, so I studied hard and ended up in the top 3% of my graduating class. I enjoy working with computers because it allows me to express my creativity. I’m a critical thinker and I like to find creative solutions to build and repair computers. I have heard great things about UWM’s classes, and I am looking forward to working with professors and with other students. I enjoy helping others with their schoolwork, so that we can learn together. I am considering working as a software developer or database administrator after graduation, and I hope that UWM will help me explore what the next destination in my career will be.