Congratulations to our Berkeley SkyDeck intern Maricruz Montes de Oca for being 1 of 4 (out of hundreds of internship applicants) to receive a $4,000 stipend to fund her internship at Firstly this Fall semester! For many first-generation college students, entrepreneurial careers are out of reach due to the amplified pressures of financial stability -- e.g. having to choose a paid opportunity over an internship at a startup. Initiatives like the Ru and Wu Innovation Fund bridge this gap by providing financial support and to students who wouldn't be able to explore startups otherwise. Thank you Simon Ru, Sharon Wu, and the Berkeley SkyDeck team for your support. #FirstGen #FirstGenCollegeStudent #Startups #SocioEconomicInclusion #Firstly
???? Thanks to the generous support of the Ru and Wu Innovation Fund, every fall and spring semester, four exceptional SkyDeck interns are awarded up to $4,000 each! ???? Recently, we had the pleasure of hosting the Fall 2024 award recipients for a celebratory lunch at SkyDeck’s penthouse, where we were inspired by the passion and potential of these bright UC Berkeley students. ??? Their involvement exemplifies SkyDeck’s mission to empower the Berkeley community, fueling innovation and ambition. ?? A heartfelt thank you to Simon Ru and Sharon Wu for making this amazing opportunity possible! #BerkeleyInnovation #SkyDeckInternship #EmpoweringStudents #RuWuInnovationFund #UCBerkeley Sibyl Chen, Caroline Winnett, Ekin Günaysu, Maricruz Montes de Oca, Joanne Tran, Ryan Hoang, Rafine Som, Kevin Hu, Chen Kossover, Eran Lahav, Kacper Szklarczyk, Joshua Blackwell