Hayfield Secondary School Student Awarded Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship

Kelly Bonilla, a senior at Hayfield Secondary School, has been named one of 100 Amazon Future Engineer scholarship recipients. All recipients receive $40,000 to continue their post-secondary education and will be offered a paid internship with Amazon following their freshman year. Recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including their academic achievement, demonstrated leadership, participation in school and community activities, work experience, future goals, and financial need. 

“Kelly is a student who is not only dedicated to her own growth and success, but in making the lives of others better,” said Martin Grimm, principal, Hayfield Secondary School. “She is a participant and leader within many organizations at Hayfield and the broader community. We are so proud of her accomplishments and we are excited for her bright future ahead.”

Kelly has an older sister with Down Syndrome and is a passionate advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She has encouraged others to learn more about inclusion and led the effort to establish a Best Buddy Club at Hayfield Secondary School. Kelly will be attending Stanford University to study computer science.

Amazon Future Engineer is a childhood-to-career computer science education program intended to inspire and educate millions of students globally, including hundreds of thousands of students in the U.S. each year. Students explore computer science through school curriculum and project-based learning using code to make music, program robots, and solve problems.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that from 2019 to 2029, the market for computer science professionals will grow 11 percent faster than the average for all occupations. In 2020, the median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $91,250, which is more than twice the median annual wage for all occupations in the U.S. Computer science is the fastest-growing profession within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field, but only 8% of STEM graduates earn a computer science degree, with a small percentage from underserved backgrounds. Students from underserved backgrounds are 8 to 10 times more likely to pursue college degrees in computer science if they have taken AP computer science in high school. 

Congratulations to Kelly and all the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship recipients.

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For more information, contact the FCPS Office of Communication and Community Relations at 571-423-1200.