Each of the three winners will receive a $10,000 award to use towards their undergraduate STEM education

Andover, Mass. – September 1, 2021 – Navisite today announced the three winners of its Navisite’s Next Steminist scholarship program. In its inaugural year, the program is designed to help close the gender gap in tech and encourage young women to pursue their dreams in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). The three winners are Elizabeth Andraschko of Spring Park, Minnesota; Abigayle Mercer of Creswell, Oregon; and Vithya Srikumar of New York City. Each winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship towards their undergraduate education.

“We are honored to name the first-ever winners of Navisite’s Next Steminist Scholarship as these young women prepare to further their education, launch STEM careers and give back to their communities,” said Gina Murphy, president and COO of Navisite. “The three winners stood out among the many candidates from across the country. We were impressed with their vision and determination to make a difference with their STEM educations, and we’re thrilled to be able to support them.”

The winners plan to use their ‘Next Steminist’ scholarship to pursue careers in STEM fields that will enable them to contribute their talents for the betterment of society and human health.

• Elizabeth Andraschko will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She hopes to one day work for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in energy efficiency, aiding with the large-scale adaptation of electric transportation to reduce the carbon footprint of humans. “As a woman in STEM, I vow to use my voice and dismantle power imbalances and promote minority voices so that diversity will be the center of all future societal development,” said Andraschko.
• Abigayle Mercer will attend California Polytechnic State University to pursue her dream career of working in a data science position at a research facility, using math, research and computer programming to solve problems. The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired Abigayle to help the world prepare for the potential of future infectious outbreaks. “Working with epidemiologists, I would like to analyze patterns in virus mutation and contact spreading to help predict, plan and prepare the world for the next pandemic,” says Mercer. “If I can use my STEM degree to make a positive impact, this is how I will do it.”
• Vithya Srikumar will attend Northeastern University to pursue a degree in computer science and behavioral neuroscience, combining the two areas to streamline research and make it easier to work with large data sets and draw conclusions backed by evidence. “As someone who has suffered from numerous neurological issues, I know how vital it is to advance our knowledge of the brain in order to help people with similar conditions,” said Srikumar. “I can’t wait to get started on my journey of learning so that I can start giving back to the world that has been so good to me.”

The Navisite Next Steminist program is administered by Navisite customer Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations and individuals.

For updates on the 2022 ‘Next Steminist’ submission period, as well as eligibility requirements, please visit the Navisite’s Next Steminist web page. To learn how #WomeninSTEM are making a difference at Navisite, please check out our Steminist Spotlight blog series.

About Navisite

Navisite is a modern managed cloud service provider that accelerates digital transformation for thousands of growing and established global brands. Through our comprehensive portfolio of enterprise application and cloud services, proven delivery methodologies and global team of highly specialized experts across technologies, platforms and industries, we provide the capabilities and practical guidance customers need to move their businesses forward. Let us partner with you to navigate the now of IT change, lower costs and meet new demands at any point in your journey. To learn more, visit navisite.com—modern IT services for modern IT needs.