Universal hardships aren’t experienced equally: the events of 2020 brought intense public focus to problems of systematic inequality and injustice around the world. In particular, the ongoing global pandemic disproportionately affects populations without access to social mobility, economic opportunity, personal freedom, and support from societal institutions. Given the increasingly complex set of large-scale challenges we face, there is an urgent need to transform our culture in pursuit of FIRST’s vision to create a world where young people of all backgrounds dream of becoming problem solvers—innovators who leverage their diverse experiences and their STEM skills to make the world a better place. However, achievement of this goal requires providing increasing access to STEM opportunities for underserved and underrepresented students, as well as breaking down barriers for participation in STEM. FIRST provides conceptual tools, such as Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, which are designed to assist in this work. The EWCP Scholarship for Social Change celebrates students who pair these tools with action, to build equality and advocate for justice in their communities.

The 2021 EWCP Scholarship for Social Change is a one-time, $1000 scholarship open to high school or college applicants who have participated in FTC or FRC.