Progress announces second Annual Scholarship for Women in STEM in India

Progress, the trusted provider of infrastructure software, today announced that applications are open for the 2022 Progress Software Akanksha Scholarship for Women in STEM in India. Details about the scholarship can be viewed here.

Established in 2021, the Akanksha Scholarship is a four‐year, renewable scholarship of up to INR 160,000 ($2,000) annually to cover tuition, fees, and educational expenses. Eligible candidates are women or those who identify as women, who reside in India and are pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer information systems, software engineering, and/or IT.

Scholarship recipients will be chosen based on academic achievement; interest and experience in computer science, computer information systems, software engineering, and/or IT; and personal attributes exemplifying courage, conscientiousness, resilience, and excellence. The 2021 Akanksha Scholarship was awarded to Akhila Karanam, a student at Keshav Memorial Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India.

“At Progress, we understand the value of diversity of thought, and we consider it our duty to open new opportunities to underrepresented people who want a career in computer science, software engineering, IT, or computer information systems,” said Yogesh Gupta, CEO, Progress. “In its second year, the Akanksha Scholarship for Women in STEM was created to empower deserving women in India who have a passion for technology, and we look forward to selecting this year’s recipient.”

Akanksha (origin: Sanskrit) translates to Aspire, which is a state of mind and spirit to seek progress and accomplish challenges with grit. Progress established the Akanksha Scholarship in 2021 to expand its impact in the communities in which its employees live and work. With a large employee population in India, establishing a STEM scholarship for women became a priority for the organization.

Employee diversity spurs innovation. To advance this ideal, our company established the Progress Women in STEM Scholarship series to increase the global representation of women in the fields of computer science, software engineering, IT, and/or computer information systems. We offer three distinct scholarship programs: The Mary Székely Scholarship for Women in STEM (US), the Women in Tech Scholarship (Bulgaria), and the Akanksha Scholarship for Women in STEM (India).