Ruby Central

Supporting the Ruby Community Since 2001

Scholarships

Scholars and Guides Program

What is the Scholars and Guides Program?

The Scholars and Guides program is a mentor/mentee program under Ruby Central, Inc to support underrepresented community members interested in learning the Ruby programming language. The program's purpose is to give new and aspiring Rubyists from tech communities a supportive social and, if needed, a financial pathway to entering the tech community through our yearly Ruby and Rails conferences.

What is a Scholar (mentee)?

Scholars, or mentees, are usually new to the Ruby and Rails community and looking to make professional connections. Scholars are paired with a Guide (mentor) who will be available to offer insight and advice on programming, working as a developer, and helping you build long-lasting connections with influential community members.

Why should YOU apply to be a Scholar?

As a Scholar, you will receive the following benefits:

A complimentary ticket to the host conference will give you access to industry talks and networking with influential people in the community.
Mentorship and guidance from an experienced programmer familiar with the Ruby/Rails community.
An invitation to the Scholars and Guides Reception the night before the conference.
Access your cohort's Slack community channel for instant connections and a central place to ask questions before, during, and even after the conference.
An opportunity to practice your presentation skills during the host conference.
Dedicated front-row seating to the conference keynotes.
A professional spotlight of your headshot and resume/socials on our webpage.
An opportunity to interview with our Ruby Together blog to discuss your experience as a Ruby Central Scholar.
Travel reimbursements of up to $500 (available upon request and dependent on generous sponsors' and supporters' donations)

What if you're a Scholar Alumni?

Scholar Alumni are those who successfully completed the Scholars program and are interested in continuing their involvement with Ruby Central. Scholar Alumni receive discounts at all Ruby Central conferences. If you are interested in "paying it forward," we invite all Scholar Alumni to share how being a Scholar helped their professional journey and to apply to be a Ruby Central Guide. We have also opened up a Slack channel dedicated to all of our Scholar Alumni to share thoughts, ideas, and passion projects (ask for more details).

What is a Guide (mentor)?

Guides are volunteer mentors to the Scholars and will support the Scholars through mentorship, guidance, and professional networking leading up to and during a Ruby or Rails conference. Guides should be familiar with the Ruby and/or Rails community and can create networking opportunities, and will help the Scholar navigate a professional conference. We are seeking volunteers who can:

Commit to being a supportive and active mentor to aspiring Rubyist.
Recommend conference talks based on Scholars' interests, current skill levels, and experiences.
Make introductions between your Scholar and established developers, especially ones that might be particularly influential in their areas of interest.
Give feedback and advice on working in the Ruby/Rails world.

Why should YOU apply to be a Guide?

As a Guide, we extend the following benefits for your generous support and volunteer work:

A complimentary ticket to the host conference.
An opportunity to mentor and guide a new and aspiring Rubyist
Access to a Slack community channel to share resources and connect before, during, and even after the conference.
An invitation to the Scholars and Guides Reception the night before the conference.
An opportunity to interview with our Ruby Together blog to discuss your experience as a Ruby Central Scholar.
A professional spotlight of your headshot and socials on our webpage.
Dedicated front-row seating at all the conference keynotes along with Scholars.

The application for the Scholars and Guides program will be available on their respective conference webpages. If there are any inquiries to the scholarship program, please reach us at scholarships@rubycentral.org.