by Kimber Connors

Executive Director

Gender and racial representation that is reflective of our community is urgently needed in STEM fields. As a recent Seattle Times article states, our city has an incredible STEM presence—one in five workers are in STEM fields—yet nearly three-quarters of them identify as male. Additionally, the STEM workforce has incredible racial disparity. Less than one percent of employees at U.S. software companies are Black, according to Labor Department statistics. Despite these alarming figures, the Seattle Times’ assertion that strategies for narrowing these gaps haven’t had much effect contradicts what we’re seeing on the ground.

The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) is gaining real traction on addressing the systemic inequities that have not only led to a gender gap but also racial disparity in the STEM workforce. WSOS was imagined in 2011 through a bipartisan coalition of Washington state legislators, then-Governor Christine Gregoire and industry leaders like Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, and Stan Deal, CEO of Boeing Commercial. With twin commitments of $25M each from Microsoft and Boeing, the state made an unprecedented promise to match every dollar raised privately. Since then, we’ve raised more than $200M and are on track to serve 20,000 students by 2025.

The Opportunity Scholarship supports Washington residents who are pursuing high-demand STEM, health care and trade higher education—including bachelor’s and associate degrees, certificates, and apprenticeships—across more than 60 campuses in our state. Of our currently enrolled Opportunity Scholars, 70% are students of color, more than two-thirds are first-generation college students and nearly six in ten are women.

According to a recent state audit, Opportunity Scholars are twice as likely to graduate in four years when compared with peers. By supporting a diverse set of recipients and helping them reach graduation in competitive STEM fields through flexible financial aid and support services centered on the power of mentorship—WSOS is proof-positive that we can dismantle the opportunity gap and ensure the STEM workforce of tomorrow reflects the rich gender and racial diversity of our state.

Since its inception, more than 4,800 Opportunity Scholar graduates are now working in their fields, making a difference. About four in five graduates stay in Washington state, keeping their impact local. And with an ever-increasing number of alumni joining the Washington workforce, we know this program can disrupt the gender and racial imbalance of the STEM workforce not only in Seattle, but across our state.

Gender and racial inequality in STEM fields, particularly in our city, are not problems without solutions. There is ample evidence that WSOS’ strategies are showing incredible promise to tip the scales in a new direction. Because Opportunity Scholarship is backed by the state of Washington, generous philanthropists like Ballmer Group and the Rubens Family Foundation, as well as powerful industry leaders like Kaiser Permanente and Parametrix, who followed the lead of Microsoft and Boeing’s cornerstone partnership, WSOS has the potential to make scalable impact felt through Seattle, the Puget Sound region and the entire state.