Pratt & Whitney founds $1.25M scholarship program for UConn engineering students

pratt & whitney east hartford manufacturing

Photo | Pratt & Whitney A Pratt & Whitney engine.

Write a Comment

By Zachary Vasile

East Hartford-based jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has committed $1.25 million to a scholarship program intended to help underrepresented minority students studying engineering at the University of Connecticut pay their tuition and advance academically and professionally in their field.

The company on Monday announced the creation of the Pratt & Whitney Scholars Program, which will provide four cohorts of five students with $10,000 per year for four years. Aid recipients will also have an opportunity to work a summer internship at Pratt after their sophomore year and complete a design project sponsored by the manufacturer in their senior year, in addition to other professional development and mentorship opportunities.

Pratt & Whitney officials said the new initiative dovetails with other diversity programs the firm has sponsored at UConn, including the long-running BRIDGE program, a five-week summer residential program designed to help women and underrepresented minorities entering their freshman year at UConn Engineering.

“The new Pratt & Whitney Scholars Program with [the] UConn School of Engineering will serve the diverse communities and schools where we live and work,” said Maureen Waterston, vice president and chief human resources officer at Pratt. “With this scholarship, we look forward to providing mentorship and support to 20 diverse engineering students. At Pratt & Whitney we are committed to building a diverse workforce with access for all as we continue to inspire the future generations of innovators.”

Applications for the program’s first cohort are now open, and awardees will be announced in early January 2022. Additional freshman cohorts will be identified each fall until 2024.

The scholars program will be embedded within the Vergnano Institute for Inclusion at UConn, which was formed earlier this year with the goal of increasing diversity, equity and inclusion within the engineering field.