60 Local Students Across Northern and Central California to Receive Annual PG&E Better Together STEM Scholarships

The PG&E Corporation Foundation Scholarships Total $350,000 for Students Pursuing Higher Education 

By Tracy Correa Lopez

The PG&E Corporation Foundation today (Aug. 16) announced that 60 students — 20 more than last year — from hometowns across Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) service area will receive scholarships from the 2023 Better Together STEM Scholarship Program.

The PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) funds the scholarships that totaled $350,000 this year, an increase of $100,000 from 2022. The PG&E Foundation is sponsoring 20 scholarships of $10,000, 20 scholarships of $5,000, and 20 scholarships of $2,500 each. The $5,000 scholarships are new this year.

The scholarships are awarded to students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines. STEM education fosters ingenuity, creativity, and experimentation, leading to new ideas, innovations, and technological advancements that can have global impact.

Fabian Reyes, of Royal Oaks (Monterey County), is a $10,000 scholarship recipient majoring in civil engineering at California State University, Los Angeles.

“My family and I are beyond grateful to PG&E for their generosity in supporting my educational aspirations as a future engineer. It motivates me to work harder toward my personal goals of making a positive impact in this world. This scholarship benefits me and the people I will help along the way,” said Reyes.

Scholar Amelia Stacey, of El Cerrito, will attend University of California, Berkeley and is concerned about the environment. She is a $2,500 scholarship recipient.

“I’m excited to study mechanical engineering in the context of our current environmental crisis and working to find and implement solutions,” said Stacey.

Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, demonstrated participation and leadership in school and community activities, and financial need. You can see the full list of this year’s scholarship recipients here and watch a video of a prior scholar, Jonathan Terbush, whose love of Legos and computers led to a major in electrical engineering.

“For more than a decade, The PG&E Corporation has provided financial support to students as they pursue their college STEM-based education goals. We are proud to continue this tradition and to help alleviate the financial burden of college for students and their families in our hometowns — we’re even more excited to increase the number of scholarships awarded this year so we can help even more students pursue their academic and professional dreams,” said Carla Peterman, PG&E Corporation Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, and Chari of the Board of The PG&E Corporation Foundation. 

Added Peterman: “We can’t wait to see how this next generation of innovators, doers and thinkers will thrive and give back to our state and communities.”

Scholarship recipients must plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study for the entire 2023-2024 academic year and be seeking their first undergraduate degree at an accredited four-year institution in California, or at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) anywhere in the United States. HBCU eligibility was added last year in response to a trend in applications from students admitted to HBCUs, none of which are in California.

Supporting local scholars

Since 2012, the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program has awarded more than $7 million to accomplished students. These charitable donations come from PG&E shareholders, not PG&E customers.

In addition to the Better Together STEM Scholarship Program, PG&E's 11 employee resource groups (ERGs) and three engineering networking groups (ENGs) award scholarships to help offset the cost of higher education. The funds are raised entirely through employee donations, employee fundraising events and PG&E’s employee giving program, the Campaign for the Community. Since 1989, nearly $6 million ERG scholarships have been received by thousands of recipients.