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First Tech Routing #321180379
About Us

Scholarships

First Tech offers members like you an opportunity to apply for a $5,000 scholarship to help offset the rising cost of post-secondary education. Read on to learn more.

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Each year we're proud to award twelve outstanding members with $5,000 scholarships.

Scholarships available for the 2024 academic year include:

  • Five scholarships to students with a STEM-focused major
  • Five scholarships to students with other areas of study
  • Two scholarships to family members of First Tech employees

Applications will be accepted December 1, 2023 at 12:00am PST through January 15, 2024 at 11:59pm PST and scholarships will be awarded in late April 2024.

Applicant criteria:

  • Be a First Tech member in good standing by application deadline date. If the applicant's guardians are members, the applicant must have their own membership with First Tech Federal Credit Union.
  • Plan to enroll or already be enrolled as a full-time or part-time student at an accredited institution for the upcoming academic year.
  • There is no age requirement for the scholarship program and students from all levels of study are eligible to apply.
  • Have a minimum 3.5 average cumulative grade point average (GPA).

Please see our FAQ to answer questions you may have, or please contact Community Engagement.

Scholarship Recipients 2023

We are proud to continue our tradition of awarding scholarships to members who have showcased their determination, high academic achievement, and involvement in their communities. In 2023, we awarded $60,000 to the following 12 students, and we wish them the very best in their future careers.

Maya Falodia

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Maya Falodia.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Maya Falodia. University of Washington
Major in Computer Science and Minor in Neuroscience Computation and Engineering

I’m grateful for this award because it will enable me to focus more on my education, instead of worrying more about how I’m paying for it. I’m excited to continue the legacies of women of color in stem that came before me and I’m even more excited to make my own mark on the world!

Anna Christensen

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Anna Christensen.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Anna Christensen. University of Oregon
English

“I would like to thank First Tech for this incredible opportunity and their support in my pursuit of my education at University of Oregon. This scholarship means a lot for my future and will make paying for my schooling much less stressful. I’m so incredibly grateful for being chosen for this award; it means so much to me.

Shanna Bumgarner

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Shanna Bumgarner.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Shanna Bumgarner.

Western Governors University
Master of Science in Educational Leadership

"Receiving this scholarship will allow me to achieve my goal in becoming a school administrator and accomplish a great milestone in my career. Attending graduate school and obtaining a master’s degree late in life will hopefully inspire others to set new goals that will help them grow in their professions and to never give up on accomplishing new things in life. More importantly, receiving this scholarship will significantly lighten my financial burden and help me pay the costly reward of continuing my education. Thank you so very much for your generosity; I am deeply appreciative of your support."

Alicia Li

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Alicia Li.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Alicia Li. University of California, Los Angeles
Engineering

“I am so grateful to receive this award. Through this scholarship, I'll be able to focus on my passions for engineering, education, and entrepreneurship—I've always dreamed of using technology to make a positive impact on our world. Thank you so much to First Tech for supporting higher education and providing this opportunity to students in our community.”

Phuong Huynh

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Phuong Huynh.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Phuong Huynh. University of Southern California
Cinematic Arts and Media Studies

“This award means so much to me because it is a paving stone towards my dream of becoming a film producer. As the firstborn daughter of immigrants, choosing to pursue film was a move that was met with much skepticism. The First Tech Federal Credit Union Scholarship will allow me to continue my education in film studies and provide me the opportunity to continue to tell my people's stories.”

Rishab Jain

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Rishab Jain.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Rishab Jain. Harvard College
Computational Neuroscience

“My name is Rishab Jain and I'm a senior from Westview High attending Harvard College next year. I am pursuing an undergraduate in Computational Neuroscience and aspire to become a physician-scientist. I am very honored to be receiving this award; it will aid me in my pursuit of higher education and serving society through medicine and research as an MD-PhD one day.”

Santiago Ulloa

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Santiago Ulloa.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Santiago Ulloa. San Diego State University
Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science 

“I am immensely thankful to First Tech for awarding me this scholarship. This award will support me enormously in pursuing my academic goals and alleviates the financial stress associated with such aspirations. It means more than financial assistance but is a validation of my hard work and the backing of my community.  ”

Vivien Nguyen

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Vivien Nguyen.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Vivien Nguyen. University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire
Doctorate in Nursing Practice

It’s an honor to receive this scholarship this year. It will help me pay for tuition, books, traveling to clinical sites, and school supplies while enrolling in school. With this award, it reduces my financial stress so I can focus more on my intense classes and clinical rotations. In addition, it means more time for studying and learning, leading to better grades and knowledge retention and increasing my chances of finishing graduate school on time.

Samuel VerSteeg

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Sam VerSteeg.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Sam VerSteeg. Portland Community College 
Veterinary Technology 

“It is a huge honor to be a recipient of First Tech's scholarship.  There is a tremendous need for qualified people in the veterinary industry.  As a student and a father, I am thankful for the significant support these funds will provide to help me complete my degree in Veterinary Technology and prepare me to become a board-certified technician. ”

Catherine Zhu

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Catherine Zhu.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Catherine Zhu. Cornell University
Architecture

This scholarship will help me in my design endeavors in the future with more possibilities of iterating and testing out my ideas. I am confident that with this aid I can continue on my path in architecture to be part of this amazing field that is tackling a variety of issues in the world today, from construction emissions that contribute to climate change to equitable housing for all.

Lea Vogel

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Lea Vogel.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Lea Vogel. California Polytechnic State University
City and Regional Planning

I am very grateful and honored to receive this award and the support and encouragement from my community. This scholarship will help support my academic journey at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to become a City and Regional Planner.

Melissa Williams

Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Melissa Williams.Headshot of 2023 First Tech scholarship recipient, Melissa Williams. University of Washington
Mechanical Engineering

I would like to express my sincere thanks to First Tech Credit Union for selecting me to receive this amazing scholarship. Education has always been a top priority for me, and this scholarship gives me the freedom to pursue my educational goals without worrying so much about the burdens of financial debt. Thank you for believing in me and helping to fund my education.