Seven high school seniors in Miami receive college scholarships from Amazon Future Engineer

Seven Miami high school seniors, who are preparing for college,were beneficiaries of Amazon Future Engineer scholarships.

Amazon, the company founded by the American businessmanJeff Bezos, worked with Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) to select the scholarship recipients, whose selection was announced last Friday at Southwest Miami Senior High School.

Each student will receive up to $40,000 over four years to study computer science or engineering at an American college or university of their choice, local media reported.

Fellows will also have the opportunity to complete a work internship with mentorship from Amazon leaders.

“I was surprised, I didn't realize, I thought we were going to have to answer some questions,” scholarship scholar Anisha Fretio told7 News Miami. The young woman confessed that she was very nervous and then was excited when she saw the paper proving the scholarship in the box.

Mathyas Cerdasiezar, another of the beneficiary students, said: “I am so happy. “I was thinking that I could finally go to college without worrying about finances.”

José L. Dotres, superintendent of M-DCPS, stated that the district is grateful to have Amazon as a partner and affirmed that the selected students are “top level in the world of STEM,” a term used to designate the fields. of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“They have been able to demonstrate their talent, their dedication and also their leadership in the area of computing, computer education,” Dotres stressed.

Regarding the choice of Miami-Dade County students, Amazon spokesperson Angélica Santibáñez indicated: “M-DCPS is definitely our best option. “It’s the third largest school district in the country and, I mean, they are great partners in being able to help our students in need here.”

Students eligible for this scholarship must have an interest in computer science or STEM, depending on therequirements published on the program website.

Launched in 2018,Amazon Future Engineer is a comprehensive program from childhood to career, which aims to increase access to computer science training for students from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.

After inaugurating the program, Bezos made a publication on the then social network Twitter, today X, with a photo of him very young, in which he wrote: “Yes, that's me. I was lucky to be exposed to technology and coding at a young age. He inspired a lifelong love of invention. “I hope the new Amazon Future Engineer program does the same for some kids today.”

The American tycoon, 60 years old andadopted son of a Cuban, is thesecond richest person in the world with a fortune of $203.7 billion, according to the billionaire indexBloomberg.

At the beginning of this month it emerged that the businessman had bought his third mansion on the exclusive Indian Creek Island, in Miami Beach. He acquired the first two in 2023, when he moved to Miami with his partner Lauren Sánchez, tobe close to his parents, Jackie and Miguel Bezos.