Omaha City Wire

Faith Kozisek clearly remembers the day she was surprised with College of Saint Mary’s prestigious Marie Curie Scholarship at David City Aquinas High School. “I was overwhelmed with gratitude. It got me excited for the future,” she said. “It also gave me direction.”

The scholarship provides significant financial support and resources to outstanding young women pursuing STEM majors, such as biology, chemistry, math or human biology.

The goal of the Marie Curie Program is to provide students with the resources and experiences needed for women to be successful in their college studies and smoothly transition into their desired STEM professions. This includes significant financial, academic, and career-placement support.  Marie Curie Scholars receive up to $20,000 each year in tuition support, and up to $80,000 over four years.

Additionally, the program provides an intentional four-year plan for each cohort of scholars that will help recipients be successful in their STEM courses and beyond graduation. All Marie Curie Scholars are invited to participate in a course focusing on transitioning from high school to college STEM courses during their first year at CSM. Throughout the four years, scholars also receive free tutoring and can participate in faculty and peer-led mentoring programs. Scholars build on their experiences in the classroom by exploring STEM careers through speaker presentations and networking events with potential employers. Students develop skillsets critical for graduate school and STEM careers by participating in skill-based workshops, and partaking in mentored research and internship experience with faculty and industry partners. Program participants have access to top programs like the National Institute of Health and NASA research fellowships and receive financial support to attend and present research findings at national conferences. Ultimately, the Marie Curie Program’s goal is to place scholars into STEM graduate schools or professions they desire to pursue. The program provides scholars with financial support to explore graduate schools and advisors to aid them with a job or graduate school placement.

Kendra Wiese, a 2022 CSM graduate and now a student at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn., is grateful for the opportunities the Marie Curie Scholarship afforded her. “I think it’s hit me how much of an impact this had on my future life goals. Because of the Marie Curie Scholarship, I have more money saved to use towards graduate school,” she said. “It was just huge.”

The Marie Curie Scholarship is funded by a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (Award 2130502). “The goal of CSM’s Marie Curie Scholars program is to increase the number of female students graduating with STEM majors,” said Dr. Heather Stigge, associate professor of biology. “We’re also able to assess the extent to which student participation in STEM experiences and exposure to STEM careers affects the retention of female undergraduate students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry or mathematics.”

To learn more or apply, go to CSM.edu/MarieCurie.

Original source can be found here.