At Paragon we believe in giving back to the communities we serve while fostering opportunities for continuous learning and development within information technology. Over the past seven years we've awarded more than $110,000 in scholarships to high school seniors planning to pursue a technology-related degree at an Iowa university or college.
This year, the following students were each awarded $1,000:
- Akpobari Godpower, Des Moines North
- Aaron Te Grotenhuis, MOC-Floyd Valley
- Benjamin Harks, Linn-Mar
- Blake Hohmann, Hempstead
- Ethan Rosonke, New Hampton
- Gavin Hyde, Wapsie Valley
- Hunter Coyle, Van Meter
- Nathaniel Harter, Fort Madison
- Ryan Sand, Waverly-Shell Rock
In addition to providing their high school transcripts and letters of recommendation, students were also asked to write a goal statement that best describes future career aspirations. From dreaming of designing prosthetics like Benjamin Harks from Linn-Mar, to developing technology to improve the world as Ryan Sand from Waverly Shell Rock wrote, this year’s recipients all shared a desire to utilize their expertise to someday make an impact on the lives of others.
Akpobari Godpower from Des Moines North wrote in his essay that he, “hopes to be a beacon to other African American youth” to help generate interest in STEM – a field that has historically struggled to attract African Americans and women.
In addition to understanding the importance of being a good role model, Godpower also understands the importance of gaining experience early and often.
“One of my biggest goals in school is to get enough experience to prepare me for when I graduate college, so I will not get denied for lack of experience,” said Godpower who spent his senior year of high school interning at Wellmark.
