STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HARMAN – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, together with the 1,000 Dreams Fund (1DF), today announced the launch of the annual Harman Inspired New Face of Tech grant program. This national scholarship fuels and funds the aspirations of women pursuing college degrees and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM).
This year, HARMAN is expanding its commitment to 1,000 Dreams Fund to honor twice as many promising, inspiring female students in pursuit of STEAM careers as in the first two years of the competition combined. 1DF is a major partner of HARMAN’s global cause platform, HARMAN Inspired, which is dedicated to empowering the next generation to realize their possibilities through the power of music and STEM education.
The New Face of Tech program will officially kick off and begin accepting applicant submissions on Thursday, November 7th, and will run through Wednesday, December 18th. Over the course of the submission period, 1DF will select and announce winners weekly with the final winners to be announced on December 19, 2019. HARMAN and 1DF will provide each winner with a financial grant, career coaching sessions with HARMAN leadership, resume workshops and a direct line to interview for internships and permanent fulltime roles. To support their study habits, each scholarship winner will also receive premium headphones or multimedia speakers from HARMAN’s JBL® product line. To provide further career exposure, the winners will be featured as the #NewFaceofTech by @1000DreamsFund through a social campaign that will highlight their individual stories.
“HARMAN and the 1,000 Dreams Fund joined forces to found the New Face of Tech grant program in 2017,” said Dinesh C. Paliwal, President and CEO, HARMAN. “This year, we are doubling down on our pledge by not only awarding winners scholarships but also by pairing them with a mentor in their desired field and by offering them the opportunity to interview for a role at HARMAN. We believe that this type of direct access will generate a more diverse pool of candidates for STEAM professions and will, ultimately, drive stronger, more innovative leadership.”
Continued investment in the talent pipeline is critical. According to the 2019 Women CEOs of the S&P 500 list, women hold just 5.4 percent of all CEO positions across American companies, with continued underrepresentation in tech, one of the fastest-growing professional occupations in the U.S.
“Passionate, intelligent women interested in STEAM need support and guidance early in their careers to help them meet their full potential,” said Christie Garton, founder and CEO of 1,000 Dreams Fund. “New Face of Tech and the other programs that 1,000 Dreams Fund offers with the assistance of long-time partners like HARMAN are necessary to level the playing field in male-dominated professions like technology, engineering and math.”
Women with career aspirations in STEAM fields can enter by submitting a photo that demonstrates how they represent the #NewFaceofTech along with a personal account describing how they plan to use the grant funding to achieve their goals. Winners will be selected based on the quality of their submission, including a demonstrated commitment to their career dream in STEAM and clear vision for how winning the New Face of Tech program will help further accelerate progress towards their dream. To learn more and apply, visit the New Face of Tech website.
ABOUT THE 1,000 DREAMS FUND
The 1,000 Dreams Fund (1DF) is a national scholarship fund for American girls in high school and college. 1DF believes that big expenses should never stand in the way of big dreams. Since its launch in November 2015, over $200,000 in funding has been granted to talented young women in need, helping them pay for the "extras" in school like study abroad, tech devices for the classroom and travel to conferences and seminars. 1DF has been featured in NBCNews.com, USA Today, MarketWatch, Forbes, Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Entrepreneur, TODAY and others. To learn more about 1DF, visit http://1000dreamsfund.org/
ABOUT HARMAN
HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In March 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
ABOUT HARMAN INSPIRED
HARMAN Inspired (www.harman.com/inspired) is HARMAN’s global cause movement created to prepare the next generation of technology leaders through unique, immersive and meaningful experiences in music, technology and community service. In collaboration with leading nonprofits around the globe, HARMAN Inspired connects young people to diverse opportunities that motivate them to learn and develop skills and interests in pursuit of careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Technology (STEAM). HARMAN focuses its efforts in the 120 communities across 30 countries where our 30,000 employees live and work. On a global scale, we are the official technology partner of Little Kids Rock, the official sound of the Grammy Music Education Coalition and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a member of the Make Music Alliance. In STEAM, we are a part of the Iridescent Technovation challenge and the National Invention Convention, and we support young women in tech through the 1,000 Dreams Fund. In 2019, HARMAN Inspired reached nearly one million students through the HARMAN music education program and launched sustainable and charitable programs.
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