UMich Posse Scholars Receive Amazon Future Engineer Scholarships, Pursue STEM
Julie Thai and Mahrhoztal Rosier, first-year Posse Scholars at the University of Michigan, are recipients of the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship. Through the scholarship, each will receive $40,000 to study computer science and a paid Amazon internship during their freshman year of college. Julie and Mahrhoztal are two of just 14 Chicago Public Schools students to receive this year’s Amazon Future Engineer honor.
Julie and Mahrhoztal share a deep-seated interest in STEM, with long track records pursuing independent projects, excelling in math and science. Both Scholars have also found connections between STEM and an interest in the arts.
They are two of just 14 Chicago Public Schools students to become 2022 Amazon Future Engineers.
As head of the build crew for her high school’s theater program, Julie has focused on tech and stage carpentry.
“I’ve always thought of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (“STEAM”) as collaborative work,” she says. “Through stage carpentry, I can utilize engineering and structural integrity as I support the arts.”
Mahrhoztal sees his twin interests in STEM and music converge, with both rewards and challenges.
“Music really matures your artistic sensibilities,” he says. “Like STEM, you have to find ways to convey your ideas and reinvent them. The final product could come out different than you thought.”
First as classmates at Jones College Prep, now as Posse Scholars at the University of Michigan and Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipients, Julie and Mahrhoztal have already forged a support system for each other.
“We haven’t really had a lot of classes together in high school, especially since Mahrhoztal’s an orchestra kid and I’m a theater kid,” says Julie. “Through Posse, I feel our friendship has strengthened.”
“The fact that we’re going to college together makes me a lot more comfortable,” Mahrhoztal says. “Knowing that I’ll have people with me that I’ve gotten to know has alleviated my nerves and made me really appreciative of Posse.”
