Grambling student selected for Apple’s HBCU scholarship initiative

Multinational computer and technology company Apple, Inc. has announced the names of the 30 students selected to receive one-year college scholarships as part of a new initiative to invest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The scholarships are part of the Apple HBCU Scholars Program, a $40 million, multi-year corporate investment set up to exclusively serve students and faculty of four-year HBCUs.

Apple representatives made the announcement last week at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. Amongst those 30 students selected to receive the scholarship is Darnel Williams, a junior at Grambling State University from La Plaine, Dominica.

Darnel Williams, one of 30 students who are members of the first cohort of the Apple HBCU Scholars Program, poses with Denise Young-Smith, vice president for worldwide human resources at Apple and a graduate of Grambling State University, who announced the winners at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. last month.

“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.”

Williams is pursuing a double major in electronic engineering technology and mathematics and physics with a concentration in material science.

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.

“This program is about exposing gifted students from HBCUs to a career in technology. We’re big believers that innovation will be strongest when talented people from diverse backgrounds are part of the creative process,” said Denise Young-Smith, vice president for worldwide human resources at Apple and a graduate of Grambling State University. “That’s why we’re so proud to be partnering with TMCF to help us find the next generation of innovators.”

This summer, Williams will be interning with a special projects research group at Apple, and attributes his selection as scholarship recipient to GSU for providing him with work and research opportunities.

“I have professors that really pushed me in electronic engineering and gave me the foundation that I needed to apply myself. Professors that challenged me to go above and beyond were Dr. Lee, Dr. Sharma, Dr. Seetala and Dr. Derosa,” Williams said. “In the Physics Department, I am doing research, and it provided me with an opportunity to learn many things that I would not learn in the classroom. Being a resident assistant really helped me build my leadership characteristics and helped me achieve the qualities that a company like Apple is looking for, which is someone who can be a leader.”

Williams is set to graduate in May 2017, after which he plans to pursue an advanced degree in electrical engineering so he can study how to improve and develop power generation techniques using renewable sources of energy.

The Apple HBCU Scholars Program is the first of several programs under the new Apple and TMCF Diversity Initiative. In March, Apple and TMCF announced a partnership to identify, develop and harness talent from the nation’s community of HBCUs.

This article originally published in the December 7, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.