MHS junior earns computer science scholarship

By Allie Willey
Special to the Herald Times
MEEKER | The computer science scholarship offered by the Silicon Stem academy has been awarded to 16-year-old Alex Murray, a junior at Meeker High School. The scholarship includes a full online course already paid for. Selle recommended him for the scholarship when she heard of it. Murray then proceeded to contact Katelin Cook to learn how to obtain the scholarship. Cook simply helped him fill out the application and Murray was awarded the scholarship a few months later.
The scholarship fits perfectly for Alex considering he plans on going into computer information systems, and said he has looked at going to Regis University in Denver or Mesa University in Grand Junction.
“I mean, first off, it’s a really great opportunity as our school doesn’t offer computer science courses,” Murray said. “I’ve had scarce opportunities to learn how to program, although I learned basic HTML and CSS in eighth grade by teaching it to myself online when I made my third place state history day website. I’m really glad Mrs. Selle referred me for the scholarship because it’s given me another opportunity to develop this great marketable skill.”
Silicon STEM Academy is a program for students looking into pursuing technology. Most school districts only scratch the surface of how to use technology today. Silicon STEM Academy digs deeper into programing and how to use technology. Kids learn how to use real life technology skills. All the classes are strictly hands-on and project based for the students. Last year less than 500 Colorado students graduated from universities with computer science degrees and more than 15,000 programming jobs went unfilled last year. This STEM program is working toward changing that. The mission statement says, “The myth of the brilliant, self-taught tech entrepreneur has a stronghold on the American imagination. When people think of Bill Gates, they think of a smart young man who grew up at the right place at the right time to foster his love of computers. In reality, he attended an exclusive prep school where he was afforded plenty of computer time—rare at the time—which gave him a head-start on his peers in computer science. This is also true of Mark Zuckerberg. Most think of him as the headstrong entrepreneur who dropped out of Harvard to start Facebook. Most don’t know that his parents hired a private tutor to help develop his computer science skills as a child.”