The Rural Technology Fund is pleased to announce that Tabitha Telsrow, a graduate of North Cedar Community School District in Oxford Junction, Iowa, has been designated as the first recipient of the organizations Rural Women in Technology Scholarship.

Ms. Telsrow is currently attending the University of Dubuque, where she is majoring in Computer Information Technology, with an interest in digital forensics. She was selected as the recipient for this scholarship based upon her exceptional response to several essay questions designed to gauge interest and passion for a future career in computer technology, while still drawing inspiration from the a rural community.

In her essay, Tabitha cites the impact her rural community has had on her by stating, “One of the most common characteristics of a rural community is that everybody seems to know everyone else. I was fortunate in that I was able to attend elementary through high school with the same students; today I have maintained relationships with both students and teachers from my early education.”  She goes on to say, “I have received positive support from my community. I value the character I have developed because of my rural influence.”

The Rural Women in Technology scholarship is a new $1000.00 annual award presented to a woman from a rural area that is pursuing further education in computer technology. Rural Technology Fund Director Chris Sanders said “In the short existence of the RTF we have seen the number of female applicants for our existing scholarship programs increase exponentially. I’m excited to see more women pursuing careers in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. I thought that it was a must that the RTF begin to offer a scholarship specifically for rural women pursuing technical careers. I hope that this is a scholarship program that the RTF can continue for a long time”.