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.

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
Maya Falodia


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.”