by Heidie Raine, Student Public Relations Writer
Mikayla Morris, a first-year professional pharmacy student from Xenia, Ohio, and Rebekah Porter, an incoming freshman electrical engineering student from Cedarville, Ohio, were both recently awarded the Horizons STEM Scholarship by the Greater Ohio Valley chapter of Women in Defense (WID).
Less than a decade after WID’s inception in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University students are already benefiting from — and being encouraged by — WID’s mission.
Historically, careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) have been dominated by male workers. A January Census.gov article revealed that in 2019, men made up 73% of all STEM workers.
Hoping to encourage more women to pursue STEM-related careers, WID was created in August of 2013. WID seeks to support women in fields pertaining to national security through education, mentorships, networking and career growth.
The scholarship, which awards each recipient up to $2,000, required two letters of recommendation, a career aspirations essay and ample information on each woman’s educational context.
“This scholarship means a lot to me because I am one of the relatively few female engineering students at Cedarville and it’s encouraging that there are organizations out there whose purpose is to help us succeed,” Porter said.
Recipients are allowed to apply their awards to any college expenses.
“It will help me continue my education in electrical engineering,” Porter added. “My favorite parts of engineering are the challenges and the feeling of accomplishment when I overcome them.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 4,550 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering program, strong graduation, and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement ranking. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu