SCU joins foundation's effort to provide scholarships in technology to local minority youth; Scholarship recipients to participate in hands-on technology programs at SCU

Business Wire, June 7, 2002

Business/Technology Editors & Education Writers

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2002

This month, 36 minority Bay Area middle and high schools students will receive scholarships to attend Santa Clara University over the summer for three consecutive one-week technology sessions starting Aug. 5.

The community outreach scholarships are being provided by internalDrive Foundation (http://www.internalDrive.org), in conjunction with SCU's Department of Education, the Cisco Foundation, and iD Tech Camps.

The courses are designed to provide students greater opportunities for success in today's digital-oriented world. The middle and high school scholarship recipients will apply their acquired skills to a final project for a partner community organization.

Applications are currently available at www.internalDrive.org/scholarship2002.htm or by calling (408) 626-7241. The deadline is June 17, 2002.

"We are pleased to be part of this effort opening doors to students from underserved communities, encouraging them to become involved not just with powerful learning technologies like video and web design, but also with the great value their knowledge and intellectual resources can have in their communities," said Pedro Hernandez-Ramos, assistant professor of education. "The work and learning experiences the youth participating in these programs will get are likely to stay with them for a very long time, and give them a great foundation they can build on for the future."

The students will choose between two hands-on technology programs: Digital Video & Movie Production or Web Design & Graphic Arts.

The Digital Video & Movie Production course involves research and the creation of digital movies. Participants will document their community service experience with a Canon digital camera and Apple Final Cut Pro editing software.

Those enrolling in the Web Design & Graphic Arts Program will learn about interactive communications, HTML programming, and Adobe Photoshop. With these tools, the participants will build Web sites to educate and inform about the roles and achievements of community organizations in people's lives.

For more program information, contact Karen Thurm Safran, intenalDrive Foundation, at 408-666-8353 or karen@internalDrive.com.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California's Silicon Valley, offers its 7,400 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master's and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the third-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice.

About the internalDrive Foundation

In 1999, the internalDrive Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, was created to empower girls, promote diversity through technology, and bridge the digital divide. The guidance students receive through these programs helps them develop skills for careers in today's increasingly technical society. The Foundation aims to bridge the digital divide by making technologies accessible to youth from low-income families, and it strives to include students from all backgrounds in these programs to better reflect the rich diversity of cultures in the community.