Spring is in the air. In addition to the more pleasant temperatures that are sure to win the weather battle soon enough, it’s also the time of year when young people research financial aid and scholarships available to supplement their educational journeys. There are two scholarships we want to share with you — because they are very near and dear to our hearts.

Matt Gray Memorial Scholarship

This past December we lost a dear friend and former Clockworker, Matt Gray. Matt passed after a courageous journey with cancer. To honor Matt, we worked with friends, family, and community to endow a computer science scholarship at the University of Minnesota. An endowment is a very specific thing. It means that Matt’s community was able to hit an ambitious target to ensure the scholarship exists in perpetuity. We received word in just the last few weeks that the scholarship had reached its goal and that the first worthy and interested students would be welcome to apply for a spring scholarship.

Matt Gray worked with us for nearly 14 years and his influence on the growth and success of Clockwork was profound. He will forever hold a special place in our hearts and our work. It is some small comfort knowing we will be supporting and encouraging innovation and study for Matt Gray Scholars for years to come. If you or someone you know is a CS student with interest or a history with supporting local coding programs like Code Savvy or Coder Dojo (organizations Matt co-founded and poured energy into for years) you may want to apply to be a Matt Gray Scholar.

Mahtab Rezai Memorial Scholarship

The Mahtab Rezai design scholarship honors another dear friend and Clockworker who passed a year prior to Matt. Mahtab’s scholarship also reached endowment status and is available to students in the University of MN school of Design. Mahtab was a User Experience pioneer, a leader and an entrepreneur. She spent the last 18 months of her career at Clockwork and we remain grateful for the visionary change she brought to our work.

We are proud to have known and worked alongside these brilliant leaders and we are grateful to be able to honor them both by supporting student work. They’ve both left indelible marks on the design and technology industries in this market and beyond and, no doubt, the scholars who’ll benefit from these funds will carry that brilliant energy far into the future.

Information and applications

  • Matt Gray Memorial Scholarship — learn more about the scholarship criteria and apply for Matt’s scholarship here.
  • Mahtab Rezai Memorial Scholarship — U of M College of Design students are automatically considered for this scholarship. Students who are first or second generation immigrants are encouraged to discuss this scholarship with their advisor.If you are interested, you can contribute to the fund that supports this scholarship.