ChannelPro and CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the IT industry and workforce, today announced that Sirihaasa Nallamothu from University High School in Normal, Ill., is the 2023 CompTIA ChannelPro Cecilia Galvin Scholarship Winner.
The scholarship, presented to Nallamothu at CompTIA’s ChannelCon conference in Las Vegas, is named in memory of the late Cecilia Galvin, former executive editor at ChannelPro and a passionate champion of women in tech. The annual award helps a talented young woman with an interest in technology launch an education in IT or STEM.
“Cecilia Galvin was a true champion of women in technology and an inspiration to countless members of our community,” says MJ Shoer, chief community officer at CompTIA. “Sirihaasa Nallamothu is a shining example of the next generation of technology professionals and an ideal tribute to Cecilia Galvin.”
The winner of the $5,000 scholarship this year is a proven leader in her school and community and has demonstrated a strong interest in technology. The scholarship can be applied to a four-year college, trade school, or CompTIA certifications.
“Cecilia Galvin was instrumental in building the foundation and setting high standards for ChannelPro’s magazine, website, and our events,” says Michael Siggins, president and publisher of The ChannelPro Network. “We are grateful for this ongoing collaboration with CompTIA to continue to honor the memory of our dear colleague and her passion for advancing women in STEM careers.”
Nallamothu, who will be attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the fall, is dedicated to strengthening the diversity of the technology industry and leveraging technology to improve communities and health care.
One of her major accomplishments while still in high school was a massive research project designed to predict fainting among people with a rare heart condition. Nallamothu’s project, which leveraged machine learning to better understand patient data, earned her the 2022-23 Cutler-Bell Prize from the Association for Computing Machinery.
While in high school Nallamothu served as vice president of the student body from 2019 to 2023, advocating for students, representing her classmates during diversity training and funding meetings, and attended the Muhammad Ali Diversity Center Restorative Justice Training.
Previous recipients of the CompTIA ChannelPro Cecilia Galvin Scholarship are Sarah Johnson in 2018, Destiny Adams in 2019, Isabella Ledet in 2020, and Maryann Nwude in 2022.
Judges for this year’s scholarship were Colleen Frye, managing editor of ChannelPro, Lisa Shorr, vice president of Secure Future Tech Solutions and owner of Shorr Success, Leia Kupris Shilobod, founder and chief security officer of InTech Solutions, Nancy Hammervik, chief solutions officer for CompTIA, and Amy Cliett, senior director, program operations, CITF, CompTIA.
