The Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) celebrates its most recent class of 132 scholarship recipients, who are from 26 states and will be attending 26 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) this fall.
See the video below for an inside look into how FOSSI is changing the lives of these amazing scholars.
Meet more of FOSSI’s 2023 class
Ellis Reid: 2023 FOSSI Scholar Attending North Carolina A&T
Ellis is from Jersey City, NJ, and attended St. Peter’s Prep. In the fall, he’ll be attending North Carolina A&T State University as a mechanical engineering major. Throughout high school, Ellis participated in a variety of extracurriculars such as baseball and indoor track. He was also president of the student body and Ebony Club. His passion for STEM can be traced back to childhood when he constructed buildings with Legos, which later developed into larger-scale projects. He aspires to be a part of future STEM advancements, and he looks forward to graduating from North Carolina A&T as an engineer.
Samyah Smith: 2023 FOSSI Scholar Attending Spelman College
Samyah is from San Antonio, TX, and attended William Howard Taft High School. In the fall, she’ll be attending Spelman College as a chemistry major. Her passion for chemistry developed in high school during her weekly labs, which sparked her curiosity about different chemical processes. Her motivation to pursue STEM grew when she learned about the small percentage of African American women in STEM. In the future, she sees herself obtaining her PhD and following in her mother’s entrepreneurial footsteps. Her goals include creating a hair care brand and encouraging Black and Brown girls to explore STEM fields.
Armon Williams: 2023 FOSSI Scholar Attending North Carolina A&T State University
Armon is from Columbia, SC, and graduated from W.J. Keenan High School. In the fall, he’ll be attending North Carolina A&T State University as a mechanical engineering major. Armon was the 2023 valedictorian of his high school and also held the roles of battalion commander in the JROTC program, senior class vice president, and soccer team captain. He is passionate about pursing a STEM degree because he enjoys working with machines and hopes one day to apply his knowledge to building robots. In ten years, he sees himself working on obtaining his PhD and in the process of starting a mechatronic engineering company.
Sydney Wynn: 2023 FOSSI Scholar Attending Howard University
Sydney is from Bowie, MD, and attended Elizabeth Seton High School. In the fall, she’ll be attending Howard University and majoring in biology. She maintained a 4.0. GPA throughout high school and was elected class president all four years. She also played volleyball and participated in Theater Club, Ecology Club, and tutored for the National Honor Society. Her mother helped to cultivate her love for science as she spent each summer in STEM-related camps. In the future, after completing her doctoral degree, she hopes to be working as an environmental scientist with a focus on policy for the Environmental Protection Agency.
We invite companies not currently supporting FOSSI to build their pipeline of outstanding and diverse talent by supporting a FOSSI scholar. Learn more.