Spelman College Senior Rashidah Slater Awarded a GEM Fellowship

ATLANTA, GA (03/05/2012)(readMedia)-- Spelman College senior Rashidah Slater has been awarded a GEM fellowship for graduate studies by The National GEM Consortium. GEM prepares technical leaders in industry, academia, and government agency careers, by identifying highly qualified scholars with the ability to complete industry internships and a graduate study program of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Slater, a computer science major at Spelman, plans to pursue a doctorate degree in computer engineering at Northeastern University in Boston. The GEM fellowship provides a $16,000 stipend, which encompasses full tuition and fees, as well as a living stipend, and a paid internship with Slater's sponsoring company, Intel Corp. Slater will be among more than 3,000 men and women who will receive doctorate degrees in engineering and science through the GEM Fellowship Program.

Slater, a native of Oakland, is a graduate of Oakland Technical High School.

About Spelman College

Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 85 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 11:1. Approximately 2,100 students attend Spelman. Spelman College has been ranked as the number one HBCU for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report; number 62 among Best Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report; and 12th for Best Career Services by The Princeton Review. For more information, visit: www.spelman.edu.