Amazon Surprises Fontana High School Senior With $40,000 Scholarship and Internship Offer

Amazon announced its award for Lucia Otanez, a high school senior from Fontana High School, with the surprise of a lifetime. Otanez is one of 400 award recipients across the country and just 63 students in California to be selected for Amazon’s Future Engineer Program, a comprehensive “childhood-to-career” program aimed at increasing access to computer science education for students from underserved and underrepresented communities.

Lucia will receive up to $40,000 to be applied toward tuition, fees, books, and school supplies and will be guaranteed a paid internship with Amazon to gain hands-on experience in computer science. Through Amazon Future Engineer, Lucia will also receive skills development and mental health resources, access to an emergency grant fund for unexpected financial obligations that might prevent them from attending school, and networking opportunities with their managers and peers.

The surprise took place during a school-wide assembly at Fontana High School, in which the entire senior class will be present, Lucia’s family, as well as Mayor Acquanetta Warren to congratulate the student on their achievements. 

For more information about the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship program, visit AmazonFutureEngineer.com.