Alycia Carey, a Ph.D. student in computer science at the U of A, is one of 110 doctoral students in the United States and Canada selected to receive a $20,000 scholar award from the Philanthropic Educational Organization Sisterhood. Carey was sponsored by the Fort Smith chapter.

Carey was raised in Bentonville before moving to Fayetteville to attend college. She is a 2020 computer science graduate from the U of A, where she was the recipient of the Arkansas Governor's scholarship from 2016 to 2020. Carey is now pursuing research on fair and private federated learning under her adviser, Xintao Wu.

When asked for advice on getting scholarships, Carey said, "Just read your emails! That is how I found out about this scholarship. I attended an info session about the organization and went from there. Keep your eyes and ears open for different opportunities and don't be afraid to apply — you might just get it!"

The P.E.O. Scholar Awards were established in 1991 to provide substantial merit-based awards for women of the United States and Canada who are pursuing a doctoral-level degree at an accredited college or university. Scholar Awards recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic achievement and their potential for having a positive impact on society.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded Jan. 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the United States and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members.