Experts Exchange Scholarship Contest: Meet the Past Winners

During the year, Experts Exchange holds a Scholarship Contest for students to showcase their knowledge, passion, and dedication to technology. Unlike a lot of scholarship contests out there, we don’t ask applicants to write to us and explain why they deserve to win—we want them to show us why they should win. This creates an opportunity for bright, inquiring young minds to interact with our site and contribute their expertise in an effort to support their educational initiatives.

To enter, applicants fill out the contest entry form, create a Basic membership on site, and then submit an original piece of content—whether it’s an article or video—on a technology topic. The content must help solve a specific problem. Experts Exchange awards three winners with prizes ranging from $500 for third place to $1,500 for first place.

As the year comes to a close and we gear up for the next round of submissions, we spoke with past winners to see how they benefited from this experience and how the the scholarship funds helped them as they explore an education in tech.

Here are our winners:

1st place, Spring 2017 | Joshua Johnson

1st place, Fall 2016 | Faith Primozic

2nd place, Fall 2016 | Jacob Scanlan

3rd place, Spring 2016 | William Hogge

Experts Exchange: What prompted you to apply for the Experts Exchange scholarship contest?

Joshua Johnson: I came across [the] Experts Exchange scholarship requesting that the applicants contribute to the community for a chance to win scholarship money. I had been working on the wireless troubleshooter but never released it publicly. I felt this was a good opportunity to provide other people [with] help by using this for my submission.

Faith Primozic: I think the idea of writing an article made it very accessible. It was different from other prompts which are usually essay based and long. An article gives [applicants] an easy way to share knowledge in a fun format.

Jacob Scanlan: I applied for the contest after hearing about it from a scholarship website. The contest appealed to me because I could choose the topic of the article.

William Hogge: I thought it was a fun scholarship that I actually had the potential to win. 

EE: Were you a member before you applied?

ALL: No.

EE: Are you still a member of the community?

JJ, FP, WH: Yes.

JS: Although I don't post anything, I've definitely used Experts Exchange to answer some questions I've had. It's really helped me out.

EE: What did your prize go toward?

ALL: Tuition and school costs.

EE: Are you still studying technology/working in the industry you discussed in your submission?

JJ: Yes, I'm halfway through my first semester of my graduate program. Things are going really well and it is definitely keeping me busy.

FP: Yes, architecture makes use of several of the technologies I discussed, such as 3D modeling and digital drawing technology.  

JS: I am still majoring in software engineering.

WH: Yes, I'm still working in the same field.

EE: In what way did the Experts Exchange experience help you with technology problems or exploration?

JJ: I've been in the IT field for years. It's not as important what you know as it is where to find the information. Experts Exchange is a wealth of information. In the past they have helped me solve things as simple as Outlook signatures issues to salvaging a VMs with snapshot corruption.

FP: I definitely am using a lot of digital media in my college education. As an architecture major, it’s definitely something I make use of as I prepare for my career. The Experts Exchange community is something I find to be a great resource for this, too.

JS: Experts Exchange has helped me with some problems I've encountered in C++, and it has helped me research a few possible career paths.

WH: Usually, when I'm researching tech questions I have, I'll look at Experts Exchange. [It] has had some effect on me when trying to deal with technology issues.

EE: How did your experience make a difference in your tech education?

FP: College is definitely expensive, and having the money from the scholarship was a great help.

JS: My experience has enhanced my tech education. I am more confident in my knowledge.

EE: Would you recommend Experts Exchange to other up-and-coming IT/tech professionals? If so, why?

JJ: Absolutely, it's a great community with a seemingly endless amount of information.

FP: Yes, because I feel like Experts Exchange presents a platform that kind of branches out to each level of expertise. You can use it for school, business, or even just a hobby. The material that EE offers is diverse and useful for everyone.  

JS: I would recommend this community because of the vast amount of information present on Experts Exchange. You may need some supplemental resources, but you're almost guaranteed to find something to help you out.  

WH: Yes, for sure. Definitely recommend.

We can’t wait to see what our Winter 2017 applicants create. Will you be participating? Check out our contest guidelines to get started with your submission today.