Cornell University student and Rego Park resident Priscilla Natawidjaja was announced as a recipient of the 2022 Spectrum Scholarship Wednesday, June 15. Natawidjaja received a $20,000 scholarship from Charter Communications, which owns and operates Spectrum Networks.
Natawidjaja, who majors in human resources, was one of 20 recipients selected from across the country. The scholarship program aims to assist underrepresented college students with financial needs. In addition to receiving the $20,000 scholarship, each student also received a professional Charter mentor and the chance to work as an intern at one of Charter’s corporate campuses, located in Stamford, Connecticut; Charlotte, North Carolina; St. Louis, Missouri; and Denver, Colorado.
“[To me] being a Spectrum Scholar means being curious and interested in the telecommunications industry,” the Rego Park student said. “Spectrum Scholars will help me achieve my career and future goals not only through helping me fund my schooling but also through career mentorship. I’m also excited to have a mentor at Spectrum because it would truly help me see what working at a large telecommunications company is like.”
This year’s recipients were the second class of honorees since the program’s initial launch in 2020. In total, Charter Communications devoted $400,000 to the recipients this year.
“Through programs like Spectrum Scholars, Charter is committed to developing our workforce and to investing in the diverse communities we serve, both of which are key to our success as a leading broadband connectivity and technology company,” Charter Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Paul Marchand said. “This year’s scholars are all outstanding, high-achieving students and we look forward to welcoming them to our offices and introducing them to the many career paths and opportunities available at Charter.”
A selection committee of Charter executives and the company’s nonprofit partner, Scholarship America, were responsible for choosing this year’s class of scholars. Applicants had to be rising college juniors with financial needs and identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino and/or Native American in order to be considered.
The 20 recipients come from a total of seven states and 14 universities, representing a wide variety of academic majors. The scholarship recipients are scheduled to begin their participation in the two-year internship program this fall. They will first take part in meetings at Charter’s corporate locations before participating in virtual meetings. A Spectrum Scholars summit is planned for later this year at the company’s Stamford headquarters.
In addition to New York, the other states this year’s honorees come from include Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada and New Jersey. Other honorees from New York besides Natawidjaja included Paola Beber Sanches of Scarsdale, Sky Harper of White Plains, Jennifer Lin of Jericho and Nuru Simtenda of Syracuse.
Charter Communications serves more than 32 million people across 41 states in the country as a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator through its Spectrum brand. Through its advanced communications network, Spectrum offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services. These include Spectrum internet, TV, mobile and voice.
