In partnership with The American Chemistry Council (ACC), Chemours, and HBCU Week Foundation, the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) was established in November 2020 with the goal of helping to combat the lack of diversity in the STEM workforce.
FOSSI provides scholarship recipients $10,000 per year for four years, helping to eliminate financial barriers for historically under-represented groups. Recently, 151 outstanding scholars were chosen to join FOSSI’s inaugural class. See the video below for an inside look into how FOSSI is changing the lives of these amazing scholars, and see the profiles below the video to get a closer look at four scholars, their interests, and aspirations.
Meet four members of FOSSI’s inaugural class
Meet Medinah Allah: 2021 FOSSI Scholar Attending Howard University
Medinah is from Atlanta and a recent graduate from Northeast Independent Preparatory Academy. This young entrepreneur has already set foot in her science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) career by starting a non-profit in her hometown for Black girls also interested in STEAM. Medinah is passionate about bettering communities through eco-friendly initiatives and engineering. She begun at Howard University in the fall of 2021 to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and plans to have a career with a heavy focus on sustainability and environmental improvement.
Meet Brendan Bryan: 2021 FOSSI Scholar Attending North Carolina A&T State University
Brendan is 18 years old and lives in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with his parents and sister. He is involved in a number of extracurricular clubs that range from sports to giving back to the community. He is thrilled to have recently been admitted to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, as it was his number-one choice. He’s grateful to have his hard work acknowledged as a FOSSI scholar.
Meet Mallory Butts: 2021 FOSSI Scholar Attending Spelman College
Mallory Adele Butts is a high-achieving recent graduate of Greater Atlanta Christian School (GACS – Norcross, GA) who excelled academically as an AP/honors student. In addition to membership in The National Honor Society, National Beta Club, and National Spanish Honor Society, she served as founding president of Culture Club (her school’s first social justice club), varsity basketball cheer squad captain, and yearbook chief graphic designer. This fall, Mallory will study chemical engineering and minor in Spanish at Spelman College, towards her goal of becoming a chemical engineer in the global cosmetics industry.
Meet Carlton Carter: 2021 FOSSI Scholar Attending Southern University and A&M College
Carlton Carter was born in Tampa, Florida. He is the middle child of three children and is a current two-sport (football and track) varsity scholar athlete. In ten years, he sees himself as CEO in a leadership role charged with directing a team of future innovators. His goal is to make an influential impact, by way of design, problem solving, and creativity that will benefit society and have a lasting impression on generations for years to come.
Learn more about FOSSI’s inaugural class.
Join FOSSI’s 2022 class
Do you know someone interested in becoming a 2022 FOSSI scholar? Applications are now open. The deadline to apply is Feb. 15th, 2022. Visit futureofstemscholars.org/apply.
The Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI) is a core initiative of AIChE's Doing a World of Good campaign and its All for Good: Engineering for Inclusion priority. FOSSI is supported by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), The American Chemistry Council (ACC), Chemours, and HBCU Week Foundation.
Future of Stem Scholars Initiative
