ESET Presents Thousands in Scholarships to Local High School Seniors

SAN DIEGO, July 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ESET®, the global leader in proactive digital protection, today announced its support and participation in the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) San Diego Scholarship Award Ceremony, held last night at the Hilton Mission Valley in San Diego. The company awarded $10,000 in scholarship funds to two local high school seniors to support their studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) in higher education.

"This year's AFCEA San Diego Scholarship winners represent an elite group of students pursuing what will surely be successful, rewarding careers in STEM, and we congratulate them on their accomplishments to date," said Pat Kelly, Vice President of Education, AFCEA San Diego. "It is our hope that programs like ours and other STEM scholarship programs encourage high school and college students across the country to major in STEM studies and consider careers in these areas. It is because of the generosity of sponsors like ESET that we have an opportunity to make this happen for our future scientists and engineers."

The first student to be selected as the winner of the ESET-sponsored AFCEA San Diego $8,000 Scholarship is Nicolette Brennan. Brennan graduated from University City High School in San Diego in June 2014 with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.71 and a Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score of 2380 out of 2400. Brennan's ESET-sponsored scholarship provides $2,000 a year and is renewable annually for a maximum award of $8,000 over four years for undergraduate studies. This award is made yearly to a San Diego County student who is pursuing a degree in STEM at a four-year degree-granting college or university. Brennan will attend Stanford University in the Fall and intends to major in biology.

The second ESET-sponsored scholarship winner is Aaron Steger. Steger graduated from San Dieguito Academy in San Diego in June 2014 with a GPA of 4.41 and an America College Testing (ACT) score of 35 out of 36. Steger will receive the ESET-sponsored Buck Bragunier Leadership Scholarship of $2,000. This scholarship is a one-time award and is intended to support Aaron's studies in the STEM field. The Buck Bragunier Leadership Scholarship was established to honor Buck's memory and unique contributions to the San Diego Chapter of AFCEA, following his 20 plus years of dedication to the organization and the Greater San Diego military community.

AFCEA is one of the world's premier Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) professional societies, made up of 33,000 members, in 135 different chapters on four continents. Through annual awards programs, AFCEA chapters around the globe recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals in the communications, electronics, intelligence and information technology disciplines.

"As a company dedicated to hiring and retaining top talent in the San Diego area, ESET is proud to support two of the upcoming technology scholars from our own backyard," said Andrew Lee, CEO, ESET North America. "We wish both students success in their studies and hope they will consider bringing their knowledge back to San Diego and the thriving cybersecurity community that lives and works here."

This is the first year ESET has supported the AFCEA Scholarship awards programs. ESET also provides ongoing support for local organizations and programs that address children's needs, education and economic vitality in the community. The company's current philanthropic efforts include the Alpha Project, Outdoor Outreach, the San Diego Police Foundation's Safety Net program, Securing our eCity Foundation and its annual Cyber Boot Camp, Reality Changers and the Stephen J. Wampler Foundation.

About ESET
Since 1987, ESET® has been developing award-winning security software that now helps over 100 million customers to Enjoy Safer Technology. Its broad security product portfolio covers all popular platforms and provides businesses and consumers around the world with the perfect balance of performance and protection. The company has a global sales network covering 180 countries, and regional offices in Bratislava, San Diego, Singapore and Buenos Aires. For more information visit www.eset.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

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SOURCE ESET