Riverside STEM Academy senior Sean Chung has been named a 2026 Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipient.
Each scholarship is up to $40,000 over four years ($10,000/year) toward an undergraduate computer science degree. Recipients also get a paid summer internship at Amazon. Amazon picked 400 students nationally this year, down from 500 in 2023. Selection is based on academic record, demonstrated commitment to computer science, and financial need.
Sean's name on that list places him in a small national cohort.
Why we're noting it
Two reasons.
First, the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship is competitive at scale. It's not a participation award.
Second, the school context. Riverside STEM Academy is currently the subject of a $134 million expansion plan that we reported is "in limbo" per internal documents. The same school, in the same year, just put a student on a national scholarship list.
That tells you something about the educational outcomes RSA is producing right now, regardless of the institutional turbulence around the proposed high school expansion.
What this looks like locally
The Inland Empire produces national-caliber STEM talent. The path to that talent — which schools, what programs, who the teachers are, how the families show up — is rarely covered with depth in local media.
The951 will start tracking it. When local kids win things at this level, you'll hear about it here.
Per RUSD's announcements, 15 outstanding seniors from the Class of 2026 were recognized at the 20th Annual Riverside County Student Academic Awards. Sean is one of them. We'll feature others as we identify them.
If you know a 951-area student who's earned a major scholarship, academic achievement, or competitive recognition — tip us at peter@the951.co.