2023 Spark Scholarship Awards Recap
The Code Savvy Spark Scholarship has now been going strong for 5 years!
These scholarships are meant to reward the student participants in all of our programs for their hard work and dedication to computer science and tech education.
Whether it is their passion for development or tech entrepreneurship (and/or some combo of both), great candidates for the Spark Scholarship are students who have participated in Code Savvy programs like the Byte-Size and Technovation Challenges or Code Explorers at any time over the years, and have decided to take that experience to the next level.
Scholars recognized with the Spark Awards are regularly advancing their technical learning on their own, mentoring other students in tech, and/or building and developing programs for other students, clients, nonprofits, or community organizations, all while facing challenges or barriers to their own advancement within the field.
We recognize that passion and dedication and provide these scholarships to be used toward the hardware, software, or other educational needs to help them continue on their path toward higher education, careers, and entrepreneurship in computer science and tech.
When Spark applications come in, we also weigh them against a couple of different vectors that can make the student eligible for add-on scholarships. One is the Rebecca Award, named after Code Savvy founder Rebecca Schatz, which is designated for students who are dedicated to ensuring that other students have access to computer science education (mentoring, hosting after school sessions, advocating for CS in the community.)
The other is the Spirit Award, which is designed for students who share their “spark,” going above and beyond to create unique and innovative solutions using technology to tackle and find solutions for community problems. Both of these add-on awards are awarded to students who truly reflect the mission and heart of Code Savvy.
The 2023 Spark Scholarships were awarded during the Code Savvy Celebrate event to the following students for their incredible hard work and determination to pursue computer science, no matter the challenges they face.
Please join us in congratulating these incredibly Code Savvy students!
8-11 Division
Avanti Duggirala
Grace Kaspar
Isabella Garry
Jackson Saba
Ruthvika Aadhya Gandi
12-14 Division
Aditi Kattumuri
Avery Anzaldua-Mendoza
Delaney Yamoah
Layan Sorour
Sanvitha Vallurupalli
15-18 Division
Anushka Kollengode
Grace Li
Hannah Brass
Josie Koenigs
Rebecca Sandeen
Special Shout-Outs:
Spark Scholarship + Rebecca Award: Jasmine Garry
This year, Jasmine took home the Rebecca Award on top of her 15-18 Spark Scholarship. Jasmine goes above and beyond to ensure access to coding education for students through her own coding nonprofit program, CREATE, and dedicates her time and energy to learning new technologies and mentoring others in their CS journeys.
Congratulations, Jasmine!
Spark Scholarship + Spirit Award: Naimah Muhammad
Naimah is passionate and dedicated to sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship, and food justice. She combines those passions with technical literacy and public speaking skills that she attributes to her time attending both Code Savvy’s Code Explorers and Technovation programs. An established entrepreneur, Naimah started Nai's Delights, a plant-based pop-up culinary business, and wants to use technology to disrupt current food systems.
Congratulations, Naimah!
Students can join us for our Code Explorers sessions at both Smart North Tech Hub in South Minneapolis, and the Columbia Heights Library to get hands-on tech exploration this summer! We will also be kicking off our next Technovation season in the fall. Stay connected with Code Savvy for details!