Joshua Thaisananikone graduated from UWM in May and was part of the first cohort of students to receive a Nadella Technical Education Scholarship, which provides a full ride and access to an on-campus success coach. “I was leaning toward UWM, but the financial support made it a slam dunk,” he said. “My parents were so happy. It was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.” (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)
The number of UW-Milwaukee students receiving scholarships and the amount of money awarded have skyrocketed over the past three years.
Between the 2021-22 and 2024-25 academic years, the number of students receiving scholarships increased from 33% to 46%, while the value of that aid increased from $20 million to $30 million.
The growth is due in part to the Office of Student Scholarships’ efforts to simplify the application process and provide students with available resources.
Joshua Thaisananikone knows how life-changing a scholarship can be. He still remembers the snowy February morning in 2022 when, during his senior year at Riverside University High School in Milwaukee, he learned he had received a Nadella Technical Education Scholarship. His advisor at Riverside had encouraged him to apply for the scholarship, which was new this year and designed for high school students from the Milwaukee area who wanted to study computer science and related fields.
Ariel Milton-Kern, associate director of the Student Success Center, met regularly with Thaisananikone and offered advice on navigating college life. “She was always willing to help,” Thaisananikone said. (UWM Photo/Troye Fox)
Thaisananikone had been accepted to several universities, but the Nadella Scholarship, which provides full tuition and room and board for up to five years, made his decision an easy one.
“I was leaning toward UWM, but the financial support made it a slam dunk,” he said. “My parents were so happy. It was like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.”
Thaisananikone graduated from UWM in May with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and an Honors College degree and was a member of the first cohort of Nadella Scholars. Six other Nadella Scholars graduated with him, while two more from the first cohort will graduate in December.
The Nadella Scholarship is provided through the generosity of UWM computer science graduates and Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and Anu Nadella, who have donated more than $4 million to support technical education.
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Providing financial and academic support
A first-generation college student, Thaisananikone was born in the United States to parents who emigrated from Laos before his birth. In addition to a full ride, the Nadella Scholars program provided him with an on-campus success coach, Ariel Milton-Kern, associate director of the Student Success Center, who met with him regularly and advised him on navigating college life. “She was always willing to help,” Thaisananikone said.
She even wrote him a letter of recommendation for an internship he will complete this summer at the Library of Congress, where he will help test software applications for the Copyright Office. The internship should ultimately lead to full-time employment.
“I’m interested in government technology because you’re programming something that millions of people will rely on,” he said.
In September, Thaisananikone will return to UWM to continue work on an accelerated master’s degree in computer science that he has already begun.
Based on his own experience, Thaisananikone coaches friends to take the time to apply for scholarships. “You really should take advantage of every scholarship, small or large,” he said. “They add up.”
Makes it easier to apply for a scholarship
“Since 2021, the Office of Student Scholarships has increased its efforts to connect eligible students with available funding,” said Joel Spiess, chief enrollment operations officer and executive director of student financial services.
Scholarships help increase the number of students who enroll and ultimately graduate. “I want to say that every scholarship offered represents a student who feels seen, supported and empowered to choose UWM,” Spiess said.
He and his team have worked to coordinate and streamline scholarships at UWM, and the number of students applying for them has increased by 38% since 2021. The Panther Scholarship Portal is the only place where students can find and apply for all UWM scholarships. Once a student completes an application on the portal, a personalized list of recommended scholarships is created based on details such as the applicant’s GPA, major, and hometown. Students will also receive notifications when new scholarship opportunities become available.
The Office of Student Scholarships recently pushed back application deadlines to make them earlier. Incoming students must apply for a scholarship by November 1st, current students can apply between November 1st and February 1st. This allows the university to inform students by March 1 about the funding they will receive for the following academic year.
“We want students and families to receive a comprehensive offer that details all funding – grants, loans and scholarships – so they know exactly what it will cost months before the semester starts and have time to plan,” Spiess said.
May 1st is the deadline for accepting scholarship offers for the following academic year.
Donors make scholarships possible
In 2021, UWM established the Panther Pathways Scholarship Fund, an unrestricted endowment fund that allows donations from alumni and other supporters to fund student scholarships. The fund gives the Office of Student Scholarships the flexibility to “fill gaps” and award scholarships each year based on student need, said Christina Makal McCaffery, associate vice chancellor for development.
To date, the fund has raised about $1 million in ongoing and endowment funding, McCaffery said. The goal is to continue to expand the foundation’s portfolio to ensure that scholarships are reliably available year after year.
Based on current donor giving trends and ongoing work to match eligible students with the right scholarships, Spiess predicts the number of scholarships UWM students receive will continue to increase.
When students accept a scholarship at UWM, they are asked to comment on what the gift means to them. “The most important thing we hear,” Spiess said, “is that students like to know that there is someone out there that they haven’t met yet who believes in their potential.”
https://uwm.edu/news/scholarship-money-awarded-to-uwm-students-rises-50-over-three-years/
