POET scholarship program seeks ‘Never Satisfied’ students

Jan. 27, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by POET.

The application period for the 2023 POET Never Satisfied Scholarship program is open now to the next class of innovators, trailblazers, dreamers and doers.

POET’s scholarship program, which was launched in 2016, initially was available only to students in South Dakota before expanding to include all 50 states. Now, the opportunity to receive $5,000 from the global bioprocessing leader — in addition to a day of hands-on engagement with POET professionals — has attracted some of the brightest minds from schools across the country, from nearby state schools like South Dakota State and Iowa State to Ivy Leagues like Yale and Princeton.

“We’re very proud of our Never Satisfied Scholarship Program,” said Autumn Bates, vice president of communications. “We want to recognize and support young people who share POET’s mission to find new and innovative solutions to make the world a better place, and this program connects us to thousands of them each year.”

POET Never Satisfied Scholarships are open to any student enrolled in a two- or four-year post-secondary school for the fall 2023 semester; one scholarship is reserved for a relative of a POET team member. There are no major or GPA requirements, and the application consists of three short essay questions. Finalists are required to interview with a POET panel before the 12 scholarship recipients are selected.

“These students are the next generation of leaders, inventors, policymakers, farmers, engineers and communicators,” said Miranda Broin, director of external communications. “They already have the talent — we simply want to give them the support they need to achieve their goals.

And POET isn’t just here to support them financially. We also work to connect them with industry leaders in their fields of interest and continue to be a resource for them long after they receive the scholarship.”

Past scholarship recipients have had a wide range of career aspirations, with one defining trait in common: an unceasing commitment to leaving the world better than they found it. Like POET, they are never satisfied with “good enough.”

“We’re looking for students who are aiming to disrupt the status quo, who aren’t afraid to take opportunities to enact change into their own hands,” Bates said. “Every year, we’re blown away by our talented applicants and their ambitions, and we’re looking forward to selecting the Never Satisfied Class of 2023.”

Visit poet.com/neversatisfied to apply before Feb. 13.