DETROIT ? The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation provided six deserving women in various stages of their academic or professional careers with laptop stipends and scholarships at its annual gala held May 3 at the Birmingham Country Club, part of the $104,000 in scholarships and grants awarded by the group in the last two years.

This year?s scholarship winners are Rupa Patel, Robin Bundy and Nadia Naja. Laptop recipients are Joy Nwabueze, Amy Rowell and Joyce Wu.

The level of gender disparity in the high technology industry coupled with the overall decline in university enrollments in technical fields drives the MCWT Foundation?s efforts to help women pursue their educational goals, gain a competitive skill set and become leaders in Michigan?s workplace.

?To inspire and assist girls and women to pursue technology careers is truly the heart of our organization,? said Rosemary Bayer, MCWT Foundation president and business development executive for Sun Microsystems.

MCWT sponsors include: 4Gen Consulting, Airfoil Public Relations, Altair Engineering, Inc., ArvinMeritor Automotive, AT&T, BearingPoint, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, CA (formerly Computer Associates), Center For Insight, Cisco Systems, Competitive Advantage, Inc., Compuware Corp., Deloitte, Dickson Allan, Electronic Data Systems, Executive Search Partners L.L.C., Fast Switch, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., IBM, IW Associates, Jawood, Kelly Services, Lawrence Technological University, Microsoft Corp., PMV Technologies, Rave Computer Association, Ricoh Business System Branch, R.L. Polk & Co., Sun MicroSystems, SunTel Services, Walsh College and Wipro.

?This strong scholarship program, as well as our professional development seminars we put on throughout the year, couldn?t be possible without the generous contributions of our corporate partners,? said Bayer. ?Despite the tough economic and business challenges facing all of us today, they remain dedicated to the cause of advancing and retaining women in technology.?

In addition to its scholarships, the MCWT Foundation also puts on an annual technology camp at Lawrence Technological University where 4th-7th grade girls design web pages, take apart computers, build and program robots, and learn about digital photography. Other MCWT Foundation programs include sponsoring Robofest teams as well as Student Interest Groups at the high school and university level.

Scholarship Winners:

Rupa Patel?Patel is a University of Michigan School of Information graduate student obtaining her master?s in IS with a concentration in health informatics. She earned her bachelor?s of science degree from Stanford University. She was a Science/Engineering Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga., and software engineer for Plumtree Software in San Francisco. Patel learned how to program in ?C? at 11, and mastered a number of applications in her teenage years. Her mission is to combine her strong technical skills with an interest in assisting humankind to produce positive social change. Patel lives in Ann Arbor.

Robin Bundy?A returning mid-life student, Bundy is enrolled in the virtual learning program at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minn., where she maintains a 4.0 GPA, while continuing to work to support herself and her family. Bundy has earned professional certifications including Microsoft Office Specialist, CompTIA, MCP, CCNA, and CNA through the Focus: HOPE Information Technologies Center. She is an active volunteer in the Detroit community. Bundy lives in Detroit.

Nadia Naja?A recent high school graduate, Naja will attend the University of Michigan Dearborn in September for computer engineering. During high school, she attended the Dearborn Center for Math, Science and Technology. She has competed in the USA Computing Olympiad and the ACM High School Programming Contest. Naja was the head Java programming coach for her school in 2003 and 2004, and actively participated in the Ford Research and Advanced Engineering High School Science and Technology Program in 2004 and 2005. Naja lives in Dearborn.

Laptop Winners:

Joy Nwabueze?Nwabueze will graduate from Southfield-Lathrup Senior High School in June with a very strong GPA, and will major in computer science at Wayne State University. She has juggled Advanced Placement courses and 10 charitable volunteer roles, and received awards like the O?Brian Distinguished Leader Award and Spirit of Detroit Award. Nwabueze has mastered C++, C and Unix programming. She was a participant in World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, and is fluent in written and spoken Igbo. Nwabueze lives in Southfield.

Amy Rowell?Graduating Dearborn High School in June 2006, Rowell maintains a 4.0-plus GPA, and will attend the University of Michigan College of Engineering. She has been an active member of the Dearborn Center for Math, Science, and Technology and the Center?s Mathematics Competition Club, winning awards in chemistry and math. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club, and serves as a Model United Nations representative and president. Rowell participated in the Michigan Tech Women In Engineering Summer Program, and is an accomplished musician. Rowell lives in Dearborn.

Joyce Wu?An undergraduate at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, Wu has a 3.57 GPA. She has been an instructor in web design (HTML, CSS and JavaScript) and C++ for high school students at Camp CAEN. During high school, she was vice president of Huron High School?s FIRST Robotics Club, vice president of the school?s executive board, and a member of the Business Professionals Association of America. Wu lives in Ann Arbor.

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