Birmingham student awarded £15,000 scholarship to pursue her AI career dreams

Zoriana Aleyeva, from Birmingham, is one of 15 recipients of the 2024 Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, created in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering. 

Zoriana is studying Computer Science at the University of Warwick and was awarded a place on the scholarship programme because of her passion to research in the field of artificial intelligence or machine learning.    

Zoriana, who moved to Birmingham two years ago from Ukraine, explains what drew her to the scholarship: “I really saw it as a way to enrich my curriculum. I was interested in the networking and mentorship opportunities that come with the scholarship, and I was keen to find more people who were interested in computer science because I was the only woman at my college who was studying the subject for A Level. That aspect was very exciting for me.”  

“I’m hoping to find some people I can connect with and work on different projects with in the computer science field. Everyone has a different field set or niche, so it would be nice to connect and do something together.”    

She continues: “I also obviously applied because of the huge financial support, which is essential, especially for a computer science degree. You have to buy all your equipment and there isn’t much space to work part time with the focus you need to have on your studies. I feel really well supported through this scholarship.”   

Zoriana emphasises the importance of programmes like the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, especially for young women looking to develop a career in STEM. “I think opportunities like this are really important, especially because of the bias there is towards women in science in general. Initiatives like this one really encourage young students who might have chosen other career paths or degrees.”  

 What does Zoriana hope to do long-term? “I am looking into different post-graduate degrees, hoping to stay in academia. I’d love to do some research, specifically in artificial intelligence or machine learning, in the next five to seven years.”   

Zoriana concludes by revealing the advice she’d give to anyone who was considering applying for a programme like the one she’s doing with Amazon. “Definitely do it. The application process might seem challenging at first, but you just need to get creative and think outside the box. Even if you think you might not get it, still try – you never know! You could be exactly the person the programme is looking for.”  

Since launching the scholarship in 2021, Amazon has awarded over £1.25 million worth of funding and currently supports 90 women studying STEM-related degrees at universities across the UK.    

The scholarship is part of Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon’s childhood-to-career programme, which has provided free digital skills training and careers guidance to more than one million students across the UK.     Awardees like Zoriana will each receive £5,000 annually for up to four years to support their university-related expenses, including tuition, accommodation, and living costs.   

Alongside this financial support, awardees will also benefit from a comprehensive package that includes mentorship from Amazon employees to enhance their professional growth, provide networking opportunities, and the transition into employment.  

Scholarship applications for the 2025/26 academic year open on 18 November, and will close on 13 May 2025.     

Amazon launched Amazon Future Engineer in 2019, to bridge the digital skills gap by providing greater access and more opportunities to young people from underrepresented communities. The programme has now reached over one million students across the UK, providing primary and secondary students with access to free Python coding classes, career exploration through Class Chats and virtual school trips, CPD training for teachers, and more.    

 For details about the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, please visit: amazonfutureengineer.co.uk/scholarship.