UPES student bags the prestigious LiFT scholarship

Gargi Jaiswal, student of B.Tech Computer Science (Open Source and Open Standards), 3^rd year, received a scholarship from the Linux Foundation in the category of Women in Open Source

It has been an incredible feat for Gargi Jaiswal to win the coveted Linux Foundation Scholarship in the category of Women in Open Source. Says an elated Gargi, “With Open Source Systems in demand and young professionals constantly trying to become a part of this vast network, the Linux Foundation has been a blessing in times like these. For students like me who are keen to enhance their skill set, it is a wonderful opportunity. The Linus Foundation’s LiFT or The Linux Foundation Training programme provides opportunities to highly-motivated students and young professionals who otherwise don’t have the privilege of working with other open source softwares and attend their training courses.”

LiFT, she further adds, is aimed at providing scholarships to those who enroll into learning tracks of their choice. LiFT conducts certification exams at the end of the course at absolutely no cost. “If awarded scholarship,” Gargi informs, “the applicant gets his or her fund covered for not only working with more software and engaging in training programs, but also covering primary travel expenses if any.”

The program is curated to engage more highly motivated girls and women with great potential to get into open source systems. It is a global scholarship meant to be secured by very few. Out of the 8 categories of award of the scholarship, Gargi bagged it under the category of ‘Women in Open Source’.

“I went for it with no big expectations to be honest as it a huge thing. When the results came, I got the biggest surprise of my life. I would like to thank UPES and my esteemed faculty members who encouraged me. After I got to know about the scholarship through the website, the Placement Coordinator of my branch, Dr. Ankit Khare, also played a pivotal role in providing details about the scholarship program. One of main motivations that drew me towards this scholarship was not only the fact that it educates one about open source, but also that it helps the person spread more awareness about the same and educate other people as well. The representation of women in open source, and the category I had applied under, gave me a chance to not only educate myself, but also help peers and juniors learn about the same as a part of the campaign,” says Gargi.