FONTANA, CA – Henry J. Kaiser High School senior Winnie Huang is determined to make technology more accessible after watching her parents struggle to use and understand today’s complex devices.

Thanks to a $40,000 Edison International STEM Scholarship, Huang is one step closer to earning a degree in mechanical engineering at Stanford University and achieving her goal.

“I started crying when I found out I won, because many winners had been announced and I was still waiting to hear back,” Huang said. “I’m very grateful and relieved to receive the scholarship because it will make a huge difference financially and help me pursue my goals.”

Huang – a high-achieving AP scholar with a 4.51 GPA – is one of 30 students in the Southland to be honored this year by Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison.

The program annually awards $1.2 million in scholarships to outstanding high school seniors studying in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields at four-year universities. The $40,000 scholarship will be paid over four years.

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Huang said her parents’ pursuit of a better life has motivated her to make the most of her academic opportunities and follow her dreams.

“My parents are my inspiration, and I hope that I can achieve my goals and one day support them the way they have supported me,” Huang said.

Huang plays doubles on Kaiser High’s tennis team and balances athletics with a rigorous academic schedule, as well as campus activities like Key Club, academic decathlon and National Honor Society.

“Congratulations to Winnie Huang for her academic excellence and for earning such a distinguished honor,” Fontana Unified Superintendent Randal S. Bassett said. “Ms. Huang exemplifies the caliber of high-achieving scholars we are proud to have in Fontana Unified.”

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050218_FUSD_EDISONSCHOLAR: Kaiser High School senior Winnie Huang, who was awarded a $40,000 STEM scholarship from Edison International, plans to study mechanical engineering at Stanford University in fall 2018.