The Maryland CIO Roundtable Scholarship was awarded to Kayla Bias, a Stevenson University student whose desire to work in the field of information technology upon graduation helped earn her the recognition.

Bias was introduced to the scholarship at the Roundtable’s monthly meeting on Sept. 29 and was later named the 2018 CIO Roundtable scholarship recipient. The scholarship is awarded each year to a business information systems or computer information systems student who possesses leadership qualities and a desire to work in the field of IT management.

THE SCHOLARSHIP

The scholarship was founded by Dave Hartman of Hartman Executive Advisors, who assesses and addresses companies’ technology resources and needs. According the Maryland CIO Roundtable‘s website, the scholarship is “dedicated to helping senior IT leaders increase their executive presence and find ways to add strategic business value to their organization.” Its members include senior managers in IT departments from different industries and specialties throughout Maryland. The group meets monthly at Stevenson.

Finally getting rewarded for her hard work showed Bias that others noticed her. That in itself was rewarding.

Although Bias did not know much about the scholarship, she said she was more thankful than she was surprised because she has pushed herself to be the best that she can be every day.

The scholarship relates to the plans Bias has after she graduates from Stevenson, as she wants to stay within the technology field for the majority of her career.

HER FUTURE PLANS

Bias likes the hard work and motivation that goes into the process of learning technology and its applications. She hopes to start as a software developer and later go into networking and cyber security. She has already started graduate school and plans to finish after completing her bachelor’s degree.

Bias then wants to utilize her master’s degree as she works in business and technology management. In the long term, she hopes to have her career in marketing field, as her minor is in that field.

She explained that getting the bachelor’s and master’s degrees is hard work, and moving among fields throughout a career is even harder, but all of these things have made her who she is.

“My aunt always told me, ‘Kayla, all of your hard work will never be unnoticed. So when you feel like you are doing something for nothing, you’re wrong. One day it will come to light.’ ” Bias has lived by this advice and looks forward to sharing it with her children one day.

Bias is also a cross country and track athlete, serves as the philanthropy chair of the Student United Way Club, and is a member of the BSU Gospel Choir. She is also a tech in Stevenson’s Office of Information Technology, according to a Stevenson blog posting.

Bias offers some advice to the students who are trying to earn a similar scholarship: keep doing what you do. Don’t get discouraged, because eventually you will get what you want. If you don’t, something better is waiting for you.