Buildium awards $5K in scholarships to next generation of female STEM leaders

What inspires us here at Buildium? The next generation of female STEM leaders!

One of Buildium’s six core values is, “Be helpful and supportive.” We do our very best to embody this value every day: from assisting our customers with our award-winning service, to how we treat each other here in the office, and how we spend our time and money within the community.

Another way in which we proudly live out this value is through our STEM scholarships program, which gives $10,000 to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students each year.

To apply for our two STEM scholarships, Build U. and Women in Technology, students are asked to craft an essay in response to a prompt. The winning essayists each receive $2500 to put toward their education. Applicants are limited to STEM students currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs in the U.S. and Canada. An internal reading committee reviews each essay and chooses a winner based on how clearly, thoughtfully, and eloquently the entrant answered the question.

We received a record number of essays this semester; so after much deliberation, we’re happy to announce the two most recent winners of our STEM scholarships!

Build U. Spring 2017 Winner:

Kaia Arthur, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Class of 2018

Build U. applicants answered the question, “Which company do you admire that exemplifies one or more of Buildium’s six core values?” They’re free to discuss any of our core values:

• Focus on customers first
• Be helpful and supportive
• Communicate openly and honestly
• Be nimble and flexible
• Take initiative and work hard
• Be passionate and have fun

Kaia chose to write about ThredUP, an online fashion resale platform that provides conscious consumers with affordable, on-trend clothing. As a ThredUP customer, Kaia has experienced first-hand how ThredUP “focuses on customers first” in each evolution of its rapidly expanding retail business. Kaia explains that as the facilitator of a resale marketplace, ThredUP prioritizes the needs of both its sellers and customers through its careful curation of fashion-forward clothing at affordable prices, as well as its convenient shopping and selling experiences.

In her essay, Kaia explained how ThredUP has stayed true to this core value:

“Each of ThredUP’s company values—StyleUp, SaveUp, and LiveUp—reflects a customer need that the company strives to meet. Thousands of new customers visit ThredUP each month because ThredUP’s values reflect their own. Even as ThredUP has grown from a small startup to a leading resale marketplace, its customer-first values are still as clear today as they were when I placed my first ThredUP order.”

We also asked Kaia to tell us which aspect of the industry she’s most excited about:

“The most exciting aspect of studying and working in STEM is the opportunity to continue broadening access to technology. We have more access today than ever before to tools and information that have the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for many people. By pursuing a STEM career, I hope to be a part of finding practical, meaningful ways to apply technology to improving higher education, health care, or nonprofit social services.”

Women in Technology Spring 2017 Winner:

Jordan Harris, Northwestern University, Class of 2018

Women in Technology applicants were asked, “Which female leader in STEM most inspires you to pursue your dreams, and why?”

Jordan wrote an inspiring essay about Feyi Olopade Ayodele, the CEO of CancerIQ, a healthcare startup that focuses on cancer risk assessment.

In her essay, Jordan explains what makes Feyi such an inspiring role model:

“I’m inspired by Feyi’s ability to maintain an individualized and people-oriented approach in the healthcare industry, especially as the field progresses into a streamlined and business-focused model rather than prioritizing the patient. Given my interest in the healthcare field and my identity as an African-American woman, Feyi Olopade Ayodele is someone I aspire to be like. In addition to her knowledge about business, her expansive skill set, and her ability to execute and implement ideas, she has increased minority representation in a highly competitive field. Seeing a professional such as Feyi experience success at an executive level significantly impacts my self-confidence and ambitions as a woman of color looking to enter the healthcare industry. Her success in a highly competitive and selective field inspires me to continue challenging myself in order to achieve my greatest potential.”

When asked what our scholarship means for her education, Jordan said:

“I plan on using the Buildium Women in Technology Scholarship to help pay tuition for my final year at Northwestern University. This scholarship will allow me to continue pursuing my career goal of closing economic and social gaps in healthcare while easing the financial burden [of college] on my parents.”

On behalf of the entire Buildium team, we congratulate Kaia and Jordan! We wish you nothing but the best in your careers. We also want to thank the hundreds of other impressive students who applied to our STEM scholarships—you continue to inspire us. Keep up the great work!

You can apply for Buildium’s next round of STEM scholarships between October 1 and November 1, 2017. Be sure to watch the Build U. and Women in Technology pages for more information as the application period approaches.