Fort Bend ISD (May 30, 2025) – Seven students from Fort Bend ISD were named Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipients and will receive up to $40,000 over four years to pursue a degree in computer science or engineering at a college of their choice.

FBISD recipients include:

• Kaitlyn Chen – Dulles High School
• Nikita Hansen – Dulles High School
• Ali Hussain –Clements High School
• Anna Nguyen –Austin High School
• Aashna Parekh –Austin High School
• Omotola Allen-Taylor –Travis High School
• Robell Ephrem – Dulles High School

“We are incredibly proud of these students for earning such a prestigious honor,” said Fort Bend ISD Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith. “Opportunities like this change lives, and we’re grateful to community partners like Amazon who invest in our students and help prepare them to become tomorrow’s innovators and leaders.” 

There are 20 total scholarship recipients from the Greater Houston area, 55 recipients in Texas, and 400 students across the country receiving the award along with a paid internship offer at Amazon after their freshman year of college to gain hands-on, practical work experience with mentorship from Amazon leaders. 

Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals and financial need. 

Amazon partnered with Scholarship America to review the applications and select the 400 scholars.

“Education opens doors to incredible opportunities, and we're thrilled to support these talented students as they pursue careers in technology,” said Vickie Yakunin, Amazon’s head of community engagement in Texas. “Through the Amazon Future Engineer program, we're providing both scholarships and hands-on experience in tech. We can't wait to see how these bright minds will help shape the future of innovation."

Computer science is the fastest-growing profession within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the market for computer science occupations will grow 15% between 2021 and 2031, yet only 11% of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, and only a small percentage of those come from underserved communities. 

Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon’s global philanthropic computer science education initiative, aims to increase student access to computer science education. The program funds high-quality computer science curriculum and educator professional learning to help school districts implement sustainable K–12 computer science initiatives. In addition to its Scholarship program, Amazon Future Engineer offers Career Tours and project-based learning modules that bring role models to classrooms to help students explore computer science through real-world experiences. 

Amazon launched the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship program in 2019, awarding hundreds of students annually with up to $40,000 over four years to pursue an undergraduate degree in computer science and paid internship offers at Amazon. This year, Amazon committed up to $16 million in paid college tuition. Since the program’s inception, Amazon has awarded $66 million in scholarships to 1,650 students from historically underserved communities across the U.S. 

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