EMERYVILLE, Calif.,
June 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Amyris, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMRS), a leading synthetic
biotechnology company active in the Clean Health and Beauty markets
through its consumer brands, today announced partnerships with the
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and 10,000 Degrees® to
establish a $180,000 scholarship fund
to support Black and African American students pursuing higher
education across STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math),
business, and marketing studies.
"Access to education for all requires a steadfast commitment to
bring funding, community, and opportunity directly to students,"
said John Melo, CEO and President of
Amyris. "It's an honor to partner with the UNCF and 10,0000 Degrees
and play a role in helping students achieve their higher education
goals and also help foster diversity and inclusion in the biotech
industry."
"When we set our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, it was
abundantly clear that education would be a key pillar we would
dedicate both our time and resources to," said Christine Ofori, Chief People Officer. "We are
proud to support students through our scholarship with UNCF and
10,000 Degrees and believe this is the beginning of a journey to
achieving equal access to higher education for students from
diverse backgrounds."
For more than 70 years, UNCF has cultivated a robust community
of under-represented students and shepherded them through the
higher education process, ensuring they thrive at college and go on
to become leaders in their professional and personal communities.
Since its inception, UNCF has raised more than $5 billion, supported more than 500,000 students,
and provided financial support to 37 historically Black colleges
and universities (HBCUs). UNCF has a well-established STEM program
that will now include an Amyris scholarship to bring new and
diverse talent to STEM fields.
"UNCF is thankful for meaningful partnerships, such as this
partnership with Amyris," says Dr. Michael
L. Lomax, UNCF President and CEO. "Workforce diversity is
proven essential to 21st century business success. Our HBCUs and
their students have oftentimes been overlooked for opportunities
within the STEM, business, and marketing fields. Collaborations
with UNCF, Amyris, and other industry giants ensure Black and Brown
students are prepared for career success and make impactful
contributions to their families and communities."
10,000 Degrees' mission is to achieve educational equity and to
support students from low-income backgrounds to and through
college. In addition to providing scholarships,10,000 Degrees
supports over 12,000 students a year across seven Bay Area counties
with near-peer mentorship, financial aid advising and navigation,
community college transfer support, career readiness, and other
invaluable resources that are critical to a student's successful
college experience. From the organization's founding in 1981,
10,000 Degrees has awarded over $80
million in scholarships and helped over 20,000 students
graduate from college. With Amyris' headquarters in the
San Francisco Bay Area, supporting
local students and future STEM, business, and marketing leaders is
an essential part of the company's ethos.
"For the past 40 years, 10,000 Degrees has worked to help
students from underrepresented backgrounds attend and graduate
college, and we're honored to partner with Amyris and UNCF to help
more students achieve their college dreams," said Kim Mazzuca, 10,000 Degrees president and CEO.
"We believe in the unlimited potential of all our students, and
their right to an excellent education, and the support they need to
achieve it. We know that with this scholarship, these students will
go on to make a transformative impact on the world."
Learn more about how you can get involved with UNCF and 10,000
Degrees.
About Amyris
Amyris (Nasdaq: AMRS) is a science and technology leader in the
research, development and production of sustainable ingredients for
the Clean Health & Beauty and Flavors & Fragrances markets.
Amyris uses an impressive array of exclusive technologies,
including state-of-the-art machine learning, robotics and
artificial intelligence. Our ingredients are included in over 3,000
products from the world's top brands, reaching more than 200
million consumers. Amyris is proud to own and operate a family of
consumer brands - all built around its No Compromise® promise of
clean ingredients: Biossance® clean beauty skincare, Pipette® clean
baby skincare, and Purecane™, a zero-calorie sweetener naturally
derived from sugarcane. For more information, please visit
http://www.amyris.com.
Amyris, the Amyris logo, No Compromise, Biossance, Pipette, and
Purecane are trademarks or registered trademarks of Amyris, Inc. in
the U.S. and/or other countries.
About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and most
effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the
community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and
development through scholarships and other programs, supports and
strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates
for the importance of minority education and college readiness.
UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and
universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African
American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400
programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship,
mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty
development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000
students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the
country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in
education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a
terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous
updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
About 10,000 Degrees®
10,000 Degrees® is a leading college success nonprofit in
California that supports students
from low-income backgrounds to and through college. 10,000 Degrees
serves more than 12,000 students and their families each year with
comprehensive wraparound support, college and financial aid
counseling, near-peer alumni coaching, scholarships, and financial
aid management. Unlike most other college success organizations,
there is no GPA requirement to participate in 10,000 Degrees
programs. Powered by Fellows, near-peer coaches who are recent
college graduates and often alum of 10,000 Degrees, they are
embedded in high school and college campuses to help students
navigate life both on and off-campus and throughout their college
success journey. With this innovative support model, 10,000 Degrees
achieves unmatched success rates: Over 80% of 10,000 Degrees
four-year college students earn bachelor's degrees, compared to 31%
of their peers nationally. 10,000 Degrees community college
students transfer to and graduate from four-year colleges at a rate
that's three times the national average. 10,000 Degrees students
also graduate with 88% less student loan debt than the national
average. 10,000 Degrees operates in seven Bay Area counties –
San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Napa,
Contra Costa, San Mateo, and Santa
Clara – and works in 28 high schools, 26 community colleges,
and over 130 four-year colleges and universities across the nation.
For more information about 10,000 Degrees, please visit
www.10000degrees.org.
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SOURCE Amyris, Inc.