Latina creates STEM platform for students

POSTED ON May 23, 2022

Maria Trochimezuk, founder of IOScholarships, has been working to provide a platform to provide access to scholarships worth $38 million for Latinos and other students interested in STEM careers.

IOScholarships is a free platform that gives STEM students in both high school and college to find internships, work opportunities, financial education, scholarships, and other resources based on their grade point average, merit and financial background.

Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Trochimezuk moved to the U.S. in 2000 on a postgraduate scholarship at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and was later selected to be part of Stanford’s Latino entrepreneurship initiative.

She came up with the idea to form the platform after noticing the unrewarded amount of scholarship money due to lack of applicants. She wants to help students graduate debt-free and also boost the numbers of Latinos and students of color in the STEM field.

Trochimezuk has always had a vision to be an advocate for her community.

“It’s a first of its kind because we are focusing on underrepresented students, African American, Latinos, Asian American, Native American, and also we have scholarships for DACA students,” Trochimezuk said.

IOScholarships is part of the National Scholarships Provider Association (NSPA) and has helped provide access to nearly 11,000 students about a diverse range of STEM scholarships.

Latinos currently account for 8% of STEM-related jobs, although they make up 17% of total workforce across all other jobs.

Trochimezuk has the goal to narrow the gap in STEM college graduates.

“Diversity is good for growth—you can create products, apps, and technology from people with different perspectives so that the end product is better for everybody, it’s better for the corporation, it’s better for the consumer,” Trochimezuk said.

Visit ioscholarships.com today for free access to find STEM scholarships that are perfect for you or your student.