St. Paul’s Joy Agbawodike Named HARMAN New Face of Tech Scholar by 1,000 Dreams Fund

Joy Agbawodike, a food science and nutrition student at the University of Minnesota from St. Paul, has been selected as a HARMAN New Face of Tech Scholar by 1,000 Dreams Fund (1DF), a national nonprofit that provides scholarships, mentorship and career opportunities to talented young women and students in need.

“Food science is where technology meets public health, and that’s where I see my future. Being named a HARMAN New Face of Tech Scholar gives me the runway to focus on my research and dream bigger about where this career can take me,” Agbawodike said.

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Now in its 10th year, HARMAN’s New Face of Tech Scholarship is one of 1DF’s flagship initiatives, supporting young women pursuing careers in technology, engineering, computer science and adjacent fields. The program pairs scholarship funding with one-on-one mentorship from HARMAN executives and access to a national network of industry leaders, creating a direct pathway for women into the tech workforce. Past New Face of Tech Scholars have gone on to careers at leading technology companies and emerging startups, joining a growing community of 1DF alumnae shaping the next decade of women’s leadership in tech.

Agbawodike’s selection comes as 1DF celebrates its 10-year anniversary in 2026, a milestone marking a decade of investment in talented young women through scholarships, mentorship and other critical resources. Since launching in 2016, 1DF has distributed more than $1.1 million in funding to dreamers across 41 states and 10 countries, with past scholars going on to careers in software engineering, product design, gaming and emerging tech fields. As 1DF works toward its Vision 2030 goal of reaching 50,000 dreamers, Agbawodike joins the next generation of scholars HARMAN’s New Face of Tech Scholarship was built to launch.

“When I started 1DF nearly 10 years ago, the dream was always to back young women like Joy — students with real talent and real determination who just need someone to invest in what comes next. Watching this organization grow from a handful of scholarships to a decade of impact, and now to scholars like Joy stepping into the kinds of tech careers women have historically been locked out of, is exactly why we built 1DF. She represents the next chapter of this work, and we couldn’t be prouder to welcome her into our community of dreamers,” said Christie Garton, founder and CEO of 1,000 Dreams Fund.

About 1,000 Dreams Fund

1,000 Dreams Fund (1DF) is a national nonprofit that empowers the dreams of talented women and students in need with scholarships, mentorship and other critical resources. 1DF believes that big obstacles should never stand in the way of big dreams. Since its launch in 2016, over $1.1 million in funding has been granted to talented young women in need, helping them pay for the “extras” in school like study abroad, tech devices for the classroom and travel to conferences and seminars. 1DF has been featured in NBCNews.com, USA Today, MarketWatch, Forbes, Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Entrepreneur, TODAY and others. To learn more about 1DF, visit 1000dreamsfund.org.