Black-Led Scholly Teams Up with Google to Offer ‘Women of Color in Tech Grant’

Christopher Gray developed an app that helps students navigate locating and applying for college scholarships. Gray presented this smartphone software on Shark Tank; business leaders Daymond John and Lori Greiner invested in his company. Since 2015, the app has helped 2.5 million students win over $100 million worth of scholarships.

Scholly has now partnered with Google to announce a Women of Color in Tech scholarship open to women who identify as Black, Latinx, and/or American Indian or Indigenous American interested in computer science careers. Chosen students will be awarded $10,000 for the 2022-2023 school year, and the deadline is March 31, 2022.

According to research conducted by Pew Research Center, only 19% of computer science bachelor’s degrees were earned by women. The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates that women will only occupy 20% of the computing occupations by 2025, which has not put a dent in the immense gap in the field for the last 30 years.

Gray is committed to increasing representation in the computer science field and easing the college tuition burden.

“We’ve always been committed to empowering students financially, and young women of color in college deserve that and more — particularly in the field of technology,” says Gray. “We’re so grateful that Google is just as committed in that effort as we are. Because of their generosity, women of color within our Scholly community will have access to more opportunities they need to succeed.”

Peta-Gay Clarke and Shameeka Emanuel are Program Managers that oversee Code Next, a Code with Google program that caters to Black, Latinx, and Native high school students. Both women understand the challenges young women face entering the white-male-dominated computer science field.

“As Black women in tech, we know first-hand the challenges women of color face along their education journey. We’ve seen so many young women change their trajectory or cut their education short due to financial hardships. Our hope is that this scholarship will not only provide needed support to young women but bring more awareness to these unique challenges and evangelize others to invest in women of color in tech,” said Clarke and Emanuel.

To learn more about Scholly, visit myscholly.com.