Closing Funding Gaps for STEM Students: Last Mile Education Fund

Much of a company’s innovation is based on its talent.  If you look at recent news, the semiconductor industry needs more talented people.  But life disruptions can derail a promising student from being an engineer, scientist, or technician in the semiconductor industry.  Scholarships won’t cover things like needing new tires for your car, covering the cost of a funeral of a family member, or other emergencies.  A huge percentage of promising students can’t absorb costs like that, which puts a dream of working in the industry out of reach.  It also removes that individual’s future innovation contribution from the future talent pool.  Elizabeth and Nathaniel were joined by Ruthe Farmer, Founder and CEO at Last Mile Education Fund, which closes critical gaps in funding and career support for financially vulnerable college students who are in the “last mile” to graduation in high-demand STEM fields.  An alumnus of the fund, Aburva GS, also shared her personal experiences about how the fund kept her on track to graduation and enabled her to stay in the semiconductor industry.