Rohnert Park Student Awarded PG&E Better Together STEM Scholarship

NORTH BAY, CA — Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced Monday that 40 students from hometowns in its service area will receive scholarships totaling $250,000 from the 2022 Better Together STEM Scholarship Program. Among the awardees are four students from Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties.

The PG&E Corporation Foundation funds the scholarships. This year, The Foundation is sponsoring 20 scholarships of $10,000 each and 20 scholarships of $2,500 each. The scholarships are given to students pursuing a degree in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — orSTEM — disciplines. STEM education fosters ingenuity, creativity and experimentation, leading to new ideas, innovations, and technological advancements that can have global impact.

This year's North Bay scholars include:

• Maxim Saschin, from Rohnert Park, attending the University of California, Davis, and majoring in computer science.
• William Slaybaugh Dappen, from St. Helena, attending the University of California, Santa Cruz, and majoring in computer engineering.
• Alessandro Barrera, from Novato, attending the University of San Francisco and majoring in computer science; and
• Ella Heimbrodt, from Novato, attending the University of California, Berkeley, and majoring in sustainable environmental design.

"To me, this scholarship means continued and less burdening access to an education that will allow me to pursue my goals of exploring environmental justice in the Bay Area, resource management, and renewable energy infrastructure," said Ella Heimbrodt of Novato, recipient of a $2,500 scholarship.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, demonstrated participation and leadership in school and community activities, and financial need.

"These local scholarship recipients inspire us and represent the next generation of leaders and innovators for our hometowns," said Ron Richardson, PG&E vice president, North Coast Region. "We’re glad to do our part to help reduce the costs of the next step in their STEM-based careers."

Scholarship recipients must plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study for the entire 2022-2023 academic year and be seeking their first undergraduate degree at an accredited four-year institution in California, or at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) anywhere in the United States. HBCU eligibility was added in response to a trend in applications from high-achieving students admitted to HBCUs, none of which are in California.

Supporting Local Scholars

Since 2012, the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program has awarded more than $6.7 million to accomplished students. Charitable donations come from PG&E shareholders, not PG&E customers, PG&E officials said in a news release.

In addition to the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program, PG&E's 11 employee resource groups (ERGs) and three engineering networking groups (ENGs) award scholarships to help offset the cost of higher education. The funds are raised entirely through employee donations, employee fundraising events and PG&E’s employee giving program, the Campaign for the Community. Since 1989, more than $5 million ERG scholarships have been received by thousands of recipients.