Celebrating STEM Scholors

Inaugural Susan Fratkin Scholarship recipients receive $500 for higher education

The mood was festive as Code@TACC alumni gathered with their families to celebrate the inaugural class of Susan Fratkin Scholarship recipients. A total of 23 high school students received scholarships to use toward their higher education goals at an event held in May 2023.

“I loved celebrating with the students and seeing their excitement,” said Rosalia Gomez, director of Education & Outreach at TACC. “As a first-generation college student, scholarships helped me to focus on academics and not worry as much about financial needs. I hope our Code@TACC students will feel the same way.”

Susan Fratkin, Founding Executive Director, Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation

Code@TACC is the center’s summer program that helps high school students bridge coding with community involvement, increase their interest in STEM careers, and foster their talent and creativity.

Niti Yada of Coppell High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area plans to attend UT Dallas to study neuroscience and AI development.

“I’m honored to be a Fratkin Scholarship recipient,” Yada said. “Code@TACC camps were the experience of a lifetime. I’m never going to forget the friends I made and the family atmosphere.”

Lennie Von Quintus of Akins Early College High School in Austin plans to attend Austin Community College and then transfer to UT Austin or Texas State.

“I feel tremendous gratitude and appreciation to be a Fratkin Scholarship recipient,” Von Quintus said. “I love technology, graphics, computing, and programming. And with support from TACC, I hope to have a bright future.”

Susan Fratkin, the scholarship’s namesake, is a renowned ambassador for HPC workforce development. Fratkin served as founding executive director of the Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC), an organization that advocates for the use of advanced computing to accelerate scientific discovery and supporting economic and workforce development.

“Seeing the diversity of the scholars is an exciting aspect of this event,” Fratkin said. “Students from every walk of life should be given an opportunity to succeed, and this scholarship provides a chance for high schoolers to create a wonderful future for themselves.”

Funding for the scholarships was made possible by CASC, which serves as a sustaining partner of the scholarship fund.