As a VMware Fellow and Chief Architect for Converged Infrastructure, Dr. Rajendra “Raj” Yavatkar knows a thing or two about technology. And, as the father of a recent Scripps alumna (Mallika Yavatkar ’11), he sees the value of helping Scripps students pursue careers in that competitive field.

Thanks to VMware’s Corporate Citizenship program, Dr. Yavatkar and his wife, Neeta, chose to direct a generous $800,000 gift to establish The VMware Fellow Rajendra Yavatkar Technology Scholarship at Scripps College. The scholarship is intended to help Scripps students with financial need who have a desire to study in a technology-based field and/or seek careers in research and development of a new technology.

The Yavatkars chose Scripps as the recipient of this gift for two reasons: they wanted it to have an immediate impact for students and they were impressed with the quality of their daughter’s Scripps education.

Says Dr. Yavatkar, “A liberal arts education creates a well-rounded mind. Scripps is proof of that. Students may enroll with one goal in mind, but through a diversity of experiences, discover they want to pursue other areas of interest. Mallika began Scripps as a Hispanic Studies major, and she ended up a scientist who collaborated with Professor Jennifer Armstrong to publish a research paper. That close faculty interaction with Professor Armstrong coupled with other Scripps opportunities introduced Mallika to possibilities she hadn’t yet considered. We hope this technology scholarship does the same for other students.”

VMware is an industry leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility solutions, breaking the bonds that tie IT systems to physical hardware. Scripps College and the students supported by this scholarship are grateful to VMware, Dr. Rajendra Yavatkar, and Neeta Yavatkar for their continued support and generosity of Scripps and its students.