GRAMBLING – A Grambling State University student has been awarded a one-year college scholarship and a summer internship at Apple’s headquarters in California as part of a new initiative by Apple to invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Darnel Williams is one of 30 students who are members of the first cohort of the Apple HBCU Scholars Program. Apple made a $40-million, multi-year commitment, the largest and most comprehensive corporate investment ever given exclusively for students and faculty of four-year HBCUs.
“I don’t know how to relate how I feel,” Williams said. “I am very excited because it is Apple. This is a company where they have a lot of great minds, and I hope to bring my knowledge to what they are doing and to learn a lot from the people who already work there.”
The scholarship includes up to $25,000 for the student’s senior year of college; a summer internship in Cupertino, California; participation in a year-round program to prepare for post-graduation careers; pairing with an Apple mentor during their senior year; the opportunity to serve as ambassadors on their campuses to build awareness about the Apple and TMCF Diversity Initiative; an invitation to attend TMCF’s Annual Leadership Institute; and participation in the Apple HBCU Immersion Experience in Cupertino.
Denise Young-Smith, vice president for worldwide human resources at Apple and a graduate of Grambling State University, announced the winners at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14-15. read more
