Engineering student selected for prestigious Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship

Sarah Heimlich, a third year student of the Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Arts has been announced as an Asia Pacific recipient of the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship.

It’s a great honour for 20-year-old Heimlich, who has been steadily building a reputation as an emergent science leader.

Holding three provision patents, Heimlich has introduced legislation in her previous home of New Hampshire, worked for Google and mentored over 15 FIRST LEGO League, FIRST Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition teams to success.

At 17, Heimlich also received the Junior Anita Borg Scholarship, and has since attended the Google Digital Technologies Summit and interned in Google’s Sydney offices.

In reflecting on her experiences as a Junior Anita Borg scholar, Heimlich said:
“When I was selected, I was excited to be able to spend time hanging out with other geeks. It didn’t really dawn on me until I arrived that everyone there would also be female. There I was amongst all these other girls who were just as passionate about what I did.

“For probably the first time in my life, it felt completely ok to be ‘one of the girls’. One of the most important things I gained from the scholarship is that I was able to see I was not alone in my chosen profession – and that there are other women who want long and successful careers with the knowledge that they have the ability to change the world.”

In Anita Borg’s honour, Google supports women in technology with the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship. They hope to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and become active role models and leaders in the field.

Scholarship recipients each receive a financial award for the academic year. A group of female undergraduate and graduate students have been chosen on the strength of each candidate’s academic background and demonstrated leadership.

Heimlich is especially passionate about sharing her experiences with the next generation, especially through the FIRST LEGO league. As a mentor and team captain, Heimlich has showcased science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers to hundreds of young students, travelling the world and advocating for science engagement.

She will be heading to a Google scholarship retreat in Tokyo from 15-21 September. The retreat will include workshops, speakers, panelists, breakout sessions and social activities.

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