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DSU Student Awarded Prestigious Google Scholarship

Dakota State University student Ashley Podhradsky has been named a recipient of the 2008 Google Anita Borg Scholarship. This $1000 scholarship was awarded to 50 women across the nation. Podhradsky is the only woman from South Dakota who is receiving the scholarship. Others schools represented include Berkley, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Stanford, and MIT.

The scholarship criterion is based on the strength of the candidate’s academic background and demonstrated leadership.  Podhradsky is a 2006 graduate of DSU with an undergraduate degree in electronic commerce and computer security and in 2007 with a master’s degree in information systems.  She applied for the scholarship online, and then participated in two phone interviews. After being named a scholarship finalist, Podhradsky was invited to a scholars retreat at Google headquarters in California. Podhradsky was also given the opportunity to present research she has been conducting at DSU to the retreat group.  Podhradsky plans to use the scholarship money to complete her doctoral degree in information systems at Dakota State.

Google is using the Dr. Anita Borg scholarship to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and to become role models and leaders.  Dr. Anita Borg devoted her adult life to dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields.  She founded the Institute for Woman and Technology in 1997 which was renamed the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology following Dr. Borg’s death in 2003.