Cybersecurity firm Ridgeline International announces winners of 2023 STEM Scholarship

August 30, 2023

Cybersecurity firm Ridgeline International, which opened an office in Tampa’s Westshore District earlier this year, has announced the winners of its 2023 STEM Scholarship. Among the winners is a current University of South Florida student, Oslow Odegaar.

For the third year in a row, Ridgeline International awarded three, $5,000 scholarships to undergraduate students pursuing degrees in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). More than 500 students applied for the Ridgeline International STEM Scholarship, a record for the organization.

One of only three selected, Odegaar, is a sophomore based in Tampa, studying Biomedical Sciences at USF. One of the elements of Odegaar’s application that impressed Ridgeline the most was his proactive approach to innovation. As a freshman, Odegaar started the USF Bioinformatics Club, and was involved in a bioinformatics project that led to the identification of several genetic mutations that were previously unknown.

The STEM Scholarship is a key component of Ridgeline’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and represents the company’s commitment to investing in the communities in which it does business. Ridgeline opened the doors to its Tampa office in February 2023 and looks to continue ramping up engagement with the Tampa community.

“Ridgeline wants to attract and hire top talent,” said Dr. Eric Bell, Ridgeline’s Chief Administrative Officer. “Investing in students, investing in STEM education, investing in our communities – that’s one of the most important ways we build up that talent pipeline. Tampa is rich with similar resources, and we’re excited to tap into and be a part of the good work happening here.”

The 2024 scholarship application cycle is set to open on May 1, 2024.