CW Students Succeed at the i3 Scholars Program

CW students, Joseph Gonzalez and Eric M. Lopez, recently participated in the iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) Scholar Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information. The undergraduate program focuses on research and leadership development for the underrepresented populations across the country that lead to graduate studies and careers in the information sciences.

“The experience that I had at i3 was one that will change my life for the better. The College of Westchester prepared me for the best and to compete with the best. Considering that our school is small, I've never felt inferior when speaking to people from bigger institutions, nor did I feel I wasn't capable of doing the work or learning the material,” said Joseph who is thrilled to be one of the participants representing The College of Westchester. 

The admittance process into the program is very competitive and students are evaluated for qualities beyond GPA. Only 25 students from across the country are selected each year!  

Since 2012, The College of Westchester has had 15 students accepted into the prestigious i3 Scholars Program. As part of this program, Joseph and Eric will undertake a yearlong experience that includes two summer institutes and a research project spanning the year. The i3 program prepares students for the rigors of graduate study and serves as a pipeline for i3 Scholars into internationally recognized information schools – the iSchools. Most importantly, the i3 empowers students to create change and make an impact on the people around them.  i3 Scholars receive full funding for program expenses including travel and GRE test preparation.

The i3 Scholars Program includes students who are empowered to create change and make an impact on the people around them. Joseph feels happy to live the i3 experience and he’s already planning his next professional challenge; “having the PhD fellows instruct us as to what it takes to conduct research with qualitative and quantitative methods and showing us how to do some visualization and coding, really made the experience worthwhile. Because of the i3 program, I am considering pursuing my Master’s in Accounting Analytics.” Past i3 Scholars have majored in information science, computer science, public policy, economics, business, and engineering, among others.