The purpose of this endowment is to provide assistance to undergraduate students in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. It was established in 2007 by David and Cathy Habib. David Habib received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington in 1986. After finishing his degree, he went to work for Microsoft Corporation as a software design engineer. During his 14 year career at Microsoft, he worked on Windows, applications, and development tools. He was a technical development lead on the first two versions of the Microsoft Access database management system, and also was a development lead and development manager in Visual Studio, working on graphic design tools for web and database development. Since leaving Microsoft in 2000, David spent 12 years doing software consulting for nonprofits and in 2013 joined the Salesforce Foundation where he is a lead developer working on software for the nonprofit market. Cathy Volta Habib received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington in 1986. After finishing her degree, she went to work for Hewlett-Packard, where she worked as a software engineer in their test and measurement unit in Lake Stevens, Washington. She later worked at Microsoft Corporation as a software design engineer, where she was a member of the development team working on Microsoft Word for both the PC and Mac. Cathy left Microsoft in 1995 to raise their two children. Cathy currently serves on the Bellevue Schools Foundation as a community advocate for educational programs and funding and works for Eastside Pathways, a collective action nonprofit focused on improving educational outcomes for all children on the eastside. David and Cathy are strong proponents of public education, and they want to make sure that the benefits of a great university education are available and attainable to all young people, especially those of under-represented races or of limited financial means. This scholarship will be awarded to incoming freshmen or transfer students with demonstrated financial need, as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid. The award amount varies depending on the individual need of the recipients.
This scholarship is available only to students currently enrolled as Computer Science or Computer Engineering majors at the University of Washington.