DSU’s Deshaun Crawford Awarded Apple Scholarship

The aspirations of junior computer science major Deshaun Crawford have expanded with his selection into the Apple HBCU Scholars Program.

The computer giant’s selection of Mr. Crawford means that he will receive a $25,000 scholarship for his senior year at DSU, and also participate in a summer internship program with the company. He is one of 30 recipients of the Apple HBCU Scholarship selected from among HBCU students across the country. The program is the result of a partnership between Apple and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Diversity Initiative.

“I will learn a lot about my major through working with Apple and it will improve my leadership skills,” Mr. Crawford said. “It could also lead to a job at Apple.”

A native of New Brunswick, N.J. and a graduate of Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes, Del., Mr. Crawford’s plans after DSU are to work in the corporate world for a period time and then ultimately creating his own company.

The Apple HBCU Scholars Program is a boost to Mr. Crawford’s already robust academic experience. In addition to maintaining a 3.82 GPA, he works as a research assistant under Dr. Gary Holness, associate professor of computer and information science. “We are working on the development of an autonomous wheelchair, which once programmed will take a person where he or she wants to go without doing anything else,” Mr. Crawford said.

He is also a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, as well involved in STOMPP (Skills, Talents, Opportunities through the Movement of Project Propel), which is a student organization that stems from the partnership between DSU’s College of Business and SAP, a major software corporation.

As part of the Apple HBCU Scholars Program, Mr. Crawford will participate in a year-round program in which he will be paired with an Apple employee mentor who will help prepare him for his post-graduation career. The DSU junior will also serve as an ambassador for the program to build awareness at DSU about the Apple and Thurgood Marshall College Fund Diversity Initiative.