Young Alumni Establish Scholarship to Advance STEM
Nick (Mathematics and Computer Science, ’02) and Katie (Statistics, ’01) Dellamaggiores started giving to Cal Poly the year after they graduated. Their support has grown over time, and they now fund a scholarship available to math, computer science and statistics majors. Below, the Dellamaggiores discuss what inspired them to give back.
Interview with the Dellamaggiores
What inspired you to start donating to Cal Poly so soon after you graduated?
We received tremendous value from our Cal Poly education and are very grateful for the practical experience we gained there and the job opportunities it has provided us. With the cost of education rising so significantly since we graduated, we felt that now is the right time to start helping and motivating the next generation in their pursuit of quality higher education.
What do you find rewarding about providing student scholarships?
We just love knowing that we’re helping great students in their academic journey. We also enjoy attending the yearly awards banquet to meet and converse with the next generation of students.
The name of your scholarship is "Scholarship for the Advancement of Science and Technology." How do you see your gift contributing to that advancement?
Math, statistics and computer science majors are eligible for the scholarships. Those happen to be the majors Katie and I graduated with. These fields provided us with a great foundation for our impactful careers in the technology industry. Today, these fields are even more relevant given the intense demand for data science, AI, software engineering and cryptography expertise in both industry and academia. We hope these scholarships will attract bright minds that will continue the advancement of STEM.
What Cal Poly experience has been most influential in your life?
We really enjoyed opportunities to practice Learn by Doing by working for on-campus departments. For example, Nick had an amazing internship with the Library Multimedia Group, where he gained experience building real software systems for on-campus clients. Katie had an opportunity to work with the Natural Resources Management Department doing data analysis on real-world data.
