The STC Scholarship Committee is excited to congratulate the recipients of the 2021 STC Scholarship. Meghalee Das and Nieve Funston have each been awarded a $500 scholarship for the 2021-2022 school year. They also received a student membership in STC and the opportunity to volunteer at the STC Summit.
Meghalee Das, a graduate student at Texas Tech University, is pursuing a PhD in Technical Communication. Das is awarded this honor for her innovative and active research agenda in remote user experience research and usability testing, demonstration of exemplary teaching, and substantial scholarly contributions to her community. Her faculty describe her as having “evidenced curiosity, a drive for complexity, and an interest in furthering our field’s understanding of global and intercultural technical communication and pedagogy.”
Nieve Funston, an undergraduate student at Iowa State University, is pursuing a dual major in Linguistics and Technical Communication. Funston is awarded this honor for her insightful research and articulation of technical communication and rhetorical theories in topics ranging from renewable energy to dance. She is recognized by her peers and professors for advancing class discussions beyond surface-level thought in ways that motivate and challenge those around her. Her faculty describe her as “wicked smart, hardworking, and curious.”
To qualify for an STC scholarship, applicants must have completed at least one year of post-secondary education. They must be working toward a degree or a graduate certificate in communication of information about technical subjects and they must have at least one full year of academic work remaining. If they meet all of these requirements, then applicants submit applications, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and essays that show their goals and achievements, their experience in technical communication, as well as an understanding of technical communication trends.
Applications were evaluated by the Scholarship Committee whose members had a tough choice to make as there were many good candidates. The committee’s purpose is to assist students who are pursuing an accredited degree or graduate certificate program in some aspect of technical communication. They recommend to the Board policies and procedures for awarding Society-level scholarships and grants, provide oversight and recommendations for geographic community scholarships and grants, review applications for scholarships and grants, and recommend recipients to the Board. The committee consists of a variety of STC members at varying points in their careers and is chaired by Kylie Jacobsen.