What a Raytheon Technologies scholarship can do for you
Fast-tracking the next generation of innovators
It was one of Raytheon Technologies’ first formal acts as a company, and with good reason.
In April 2020, the newly formed aerospace and defense company launched several key scholarship programs with a special focus on STEM fields. It's part of the company's initiative to build and maintain a strong pipeline of engineers and innovators, and to have a positive and meaningful impact on its communities.
To make sure the scholarships reach a critical and underrepresented set of candidates, the company is working with key partners including The Executive Leadership Council, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. Each of these organizations has decades of experience in helping Black and Hispanic students and professionals succeed in STEM fields and corporate careers.
This year, these organizations are again accepting applicants for their next round of scholarships. Between the financial benefit, the networking opportunities and career guidance, there are many ways a Raytheon Technologies-funded scholarship can help you launch your own STEM career.
The networking benefit
Raytheon Technologies-funded scholarships can open doors to networking opportunities with fellow scholars and industry leaders. Scholarship recipients attend conferences and get face time with executives and hiring managers from major corporations, as well as access to career development toolkits.
“Receiving the scholarship has put me into contact with higher-ups who are not just in my field, but just great leaders in engineering. It's amazing to know that they know your name. They've seen your resume; they've read your personal statement. So they know about you,” said Logan Thomas, a 2020 Raytheon Technologies scholarship recipient.
Thomas is studying mechanical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She aspires to a career in aerospace engineering and is already off to a great start, having just completed a summer internship with Collins Aerospace, a business of Raytheon Technologies. She is preparing to return for another this summer.
The financial benefit
By partnering with ELC, NSBE and SHPE, Raytheon Technologies is providing thousands of dollars of financial aid to students. This year, scholars can receive up to $10,000 in financial aid through the ELC scholarship program. Members of NSBE and SHPE are eligible for scholarships in the amount of $5,000.
For Imani Caldwell, who received a 2020 ELC scholarship, this financial aid has meant a lot. 2020 was particularly hard on Caldwell and her family.
“With my parents mainly focused on medical bills, for the first time in my college experience, it was a very big responsibility of mine to cover my tuition costs. And luckily I am an in-state student, so it wasn't too bad, but with saving up and then the scholarship, it was great," she said. “I was just really happy … I felt so blessed and extremely grateful.”
Caldwell is a junior studying mechanical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She's aiming for a career in medical devices and prosthetics, and hopes to start a nonprofit that provides them either at a reduced cost or for free.
“I really want to help innovate the healthcare industry through creative technology and produce efficient and, of course, affordable, medical products,” Caldwell said.
Imani Caldwell, a scholarship recipient, on campus at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she studies mechanical engineering.
Broadening our reach for the best talent
Raytheon Technologies’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts focus on what the company refers to as its Pillars for Action: public policy, community engagement, workforce diversity and supplier diversity. Scholarships through the ELC, SHPE and NSBE are some of the best ways to help grow talent pipelines and representation.
“I want to see more people that look like me in engineering roles,” said Caldwell. “It’s important to have programs like this that are specific to people of color and people like me, Black students, because it's great to not only receive this help and this nurturing and this financial assistance, but it's also great to see people that look like you in these positions that you want to see yourself in.”
How to apply
You can learn more about your eligibility for the 2021 spring scholarships, their enrollment windows and application processes through the organizations’ websites.
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers