Moniesha Jackson Shorter Scholarship for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.®

About Moniesha Jackson Shorter

When I became an engineering student at the University of Maryland in 1992, I was the only black and only female in most of my engineering classes. This prepared me for the reality of a corporate environment that was 90% white and male. Unfortunately, this dynamic has not changed much in 30 years. I hope to change that.

As a longtime DEI advocate, I have devoted much of my career to amplifying diverse voices and eliminating barriers that prevent full participation of minority professionals. I understand all too well the challenges minority students face and want to create pathways for more diverse representation in the tech industry.

During my 13.5 year tenure at Accenture, I served as the Diversity Recruiting lead for the University of Maryland and developed programming for our Skills to Succeed initiative, the focus of Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship efforts, aimed to equip at least 250,000 people around the world with the skills required to get jobs, build businesses and improve their communities. I also served on the University of Maryland Women in Engineering Board in this capacity, focused on the recruitment and retention of female engineering students.

Later at Amazon, I was selected to lead the local chapter for Kaleidoscope, a DEI initiative in Amazon Device Software and Services focused on hiring and development, culture, and community, and also served as Director, Marketing and Communications, for the Amazon Black Employee Network (BEN) Board.

It is my passion to see minorities achieve and Black women thrive that led me to establish the Moniesha Jackson Shorter Endowed Scholarship for the Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering and the Moniesha Jackson Shorter Endowed Scholarship for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® through the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc. for a total commitment of $255,000. These funds will support merit-based scholarships for undergraduate students for the purpose of enhancing diversity, including but not limited to racial or gender diversity in computer science, engineering, or other STEM field majors.

About the Fund 

The Moniesha Jackson Shorter Scholarship for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® was established in February 2022. The endowment provides merit-based scholarships for undergraduate students who are members of the Theta Nu chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.® in the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life in the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland. Preference will be given to students who are pursuing a computer science or other STEM field major.

How to Apply

For information on how to apply to the Moniesha Jackson Shorter Scholarship for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. ®, please contact us at sagiving@umd.edu or 301-3140-4900