Lindsay Sierra
2012 Scholarship Recipient
San Jose State University
Major: Management Information Systems
Graduation: December 2013
In 2012, I was fortunate enough to be a CIO Scholarship Fund recipient. Throughout my college career, I had applied for FAFSA and various scholarships but that year in particular I was denied financial aid. I remember the look in my mother’s eyes when she told me that we were denied aid. That type of worry is not something that can be hidden, no matter how hard my mother tried. Any spare time I had between work and school I spent searching for scholarships, as I was dependent solely on private funds.
When I was informed that I had been awarded the CIO Scholarship, sincere gratitude and relief gleamed right through my mother’s eyes. She could not be more proud of her daughter and more grateful for IT Leaders who gave back like those involved in the fund.
I was so honored to receive this scholarship. The generous endowment really saved me from further financial stress and that is something I will never quite be able to properly say “thank you” for. Beyond the financial aspect of the scholarship, I felt privileged to be recognized by a fund full of IT Leaders. It is an indescribable feeling to be given funds to continue your education from a group of individuals who you hope to be some day. The feeling is best described as a combination of admiration, inspiration, and gratitude.
In addition to the endowment, I got to work with the CIO Scholarship Fund while I was in the SJSU MIS Honors program. My teammates and I worked to implement a Salesforce CRM system and develop an IT Roadmap for the fund. This was also my first time working on an IT project with an external stakeholder and it was a huge learning experience for me.
When I graduated, I was honored to receive the Exemplary Spirit in MIS Award, which was sponsored by the CIO Scholarship Fund. Again, I felt so grateful for the sponsorship and humbled to receive the award. I cannot thank the fund enough for taking a chance on me and investing in my future. The fund stood by me throughout my college career enabling me to become the IT professional I am today.
Today, I am an SJSU alumna working as an IT Analyst at Cisco Systems. I am also a member of the Young Professional Pillar within the CIO Scholarship Fund and I look forward to positively impacting other students’ lives just as the fund has impacted mine.
