The five winners each receive a $2,000 grant to help fuel their dreams in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and/or Math (STEAM)

STAMFORD, Conn. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — April 19, 2018 — HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, and 1,000 Dreams Fund (1DF), a national microgrant program for high school and college women, are proud to announce the five grant recipients of the second annual #NewFaceofTech Challenge.

1,000 Dreams Fund staff chose the 10 finalists from a group of more than 200 applicants. A week-long public vote determined the five #NewFaceofTech grant recipients. The five winners receive a $2,000 grant to help them achieve their STEAM career aspirations along with a coaching session with a HARMAN executive. The five runners-up will receive a $100 grant from 1DF, and the 10 finalists will each receive a pair of JBL® Everest 110 wireless in-ear headphones.

The five #NewFaceofTech 2018 grant recipients are:

• Addison Dlott, a senior at Ithaca College, from Natick, MA. Her dream is to be a documentary producer. “Digital media has endless possibilities to push boundaries within film. As an aspiring documentary producer, I am always looking toward the future and for ways to make my digital content stand out. The grant will help me to produce my last documentary before graduation!”
• Gabby Frost, a student at Drexel University, from North Wales, PA. Her dream is to develop tech for the music industry. “I want to do marketing/PR in the music industry and to create digital media for artists. This grant can help me reach my goal by helping me learn more about the music industry and graphic design. It's exciting to see the music industry grow with the changes in technology.”
• Jennifer Ju, a student at Michigan State University, from Rochester, MI. Her dream is to be a product engineer in the automotive industry. “A grant will help open my opportunities for further education and also relieve me of some of the financial burden of finishing up the rest of my undergraduate studies. I find driver assistance and driver interface systems interesting, and I want to be involved with the new technology movement to improve standards of life through technology and science.”
• Nicholette Milhoan, an art student at University of Georgia, from Athens, GA. Her dream is to be a digital media artist. “This grant will help me pursue this goal by funding my educational expenses that I use in studio art courses.”
• Olivia (Heuiyoung) Park, a student at Cooper Union, from Irvine, CA. Her dream is to be a professor in mechanical engineering. “I currently teach students CAD/3D printing so a grant would help me develop more skills in that area. One of the areas of study I enjoy is aerospace. As a professor of mechanical engineering I could be a part of a group of individuals helping to discover and learn more about our identity - who we are, where we are, and why we are here.”

“The commitment from HARMAN to support strong, smart women in STEAM shows a tremendous vision for the importance of supporting these future leaders,” said 1DF Founder and CEO, Christie Garton. “We’re so thankful for HARMAN’s incredible support of our mission to help fund the dreams of talented young women in the U.S.”

The #NewFaceofTech Challenge launched on International Women’s Day (IWD) 2018, with the two organizations hosting the “Full STEAM Ahead” event and panel discussion about women in STEAM featuring luminaries in the arts and sciences from Lincoln Center, Amazon, Becton Dickinson, UNICEF, USA Today and HARMAN.

In addition to the $10,000 in grants being distributed, HARMAN’s President and CEO Dinesh Paliwal announced at the IWD event that the Dinesh and Ila Paliwal Foundation also will fund the launch of a new 1DF scholarship program for high potential female college and graduate students in STEAM for the next five years. The program will kick off this fall.

“As the CEO of a global technology company, I place talent at the top of my priority list. It is imperative that we hire, invest in and engage the best people and that we also ensure we have a strong pipeline to drive the business down the road. As the father of a son and daughter embarking on their professional careers, I feel even stronger that we must prepare and empower a strong and capable next generation of leaders. 1,000 Dreams fund is doing just that,” said Paliwal. “Building on HARMAN’s support, my family and I were so impressed with the caliber of candidates pursuing STEAM career paths that we felt compelled to answer Christi’s call for additional support. Knowing that collaboration, innovation and progress go hand in hand, we hope others will follow to accelerate and expand 1DF’s amazing work.”