Seattle, WA—Alexander Sobel, DO, FAACS, proudly announces Sydney Vo as the recipient of the seventh annual WISE (Women in STEM Excel) Scholarship. Established in 2017, this $3,500 scholarship supports Washington State women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), helping to bridge the gender gap in these critical fields.
“Encouraging and supporting women in STEM is one of the most important investments we can make in our future,” said Dr. Sobel. “Sydney’s accomplishments and determination reflect exactly the kind of leadership and innovation we seek to recognize with the WISE Scholarship.”
Vo, a student in Everett, WA, hopes to attend the University of Washington - Seattle this fall and has distinguished herself through outstanding academic achievements, leadership in STEM education, and a deep commitment to using technology for social impact. Her drive to enter the field of computer science was profoundly shaped by witnessing her father’s struggles with a heart condition, which fueled her desire to create solutions that could improve healthcare accessibility and early diagnostics.
This determination led her to a prestigious research internship at the University of Washington’s UbiComp Lab, where she helped test a smartphone-based tool that measures blood pressure. Inspired by this experience, Sydney took her research further, independently building a portable blood pressure monitor that synced to her phone to track health trends over time, a technology that could have been life-changing for her father if such a device had been available earlier.
“Every piece I put together, every piece of code I wrote, was a step toward creating something that could help people avoid the uncertainty my family experienced,” said Vo. “I could alleviate others facing similar health crises. For the first time, I felt like I had a little bit of control over the uncontrollable, and that was powerful.”
Sydney’s achievements, which include being an active participant in Kode With Klossy and Girls Who Code and presenting custom-built apps to audience members at NVIDIA and Meta, are particularly meaningful, as ambition is not culturally nurtured.
Vo explained, “Growing up as a Vietnamese girl in Casino Road, my world was shaped by dual challenges: the expectations of obedience and compliance that came with my upbringing and the systemic barriers of being low-income in an under-resourced community. These forces often felt like a cycle, feeding into each other—silence bred invisibility, and invisibility reinforced scarcity.”
Providing financial support for women like Sydney is the foundation of the WISE Scholarship. Each year, the Scholarship Selection Committee carefully reviews applications, evaluating academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to advancing diversity in STEM.
“I was deeply touched by Syndey’s story and incredibly impressed by the technology she has helped innovate despite income inequalities and cultural barriers,” Dr. Sobel commented. “Her passion for creating and improving early healthcare diagnostics will have a lasting impact on public health and her bravery in stepping outside of cultural norms will inspire future generations of women in STEM.”
Vo now joins a distinguished group of past WISE Scholarship recipients who have gone on to excel in engineering, geophysics, chemistry, and biology, proving that investment in women’s education leads to transformative change.
Dr. Alex Sobel is a leading triple board-certified cosmetic surgeon practicing out of his Bellevue cosmetic surgery center and serves communities in Seattle, Redmond, Kirkland, and beyond. A recognized leader in the field, Dr. Sobel is committed to education, mentorship, and advocacy, supporting women in STEM through initiatives like the WISE Scholarship.
To learn more about the WISE Scholarship or to apply for next year’s award, visit the Anderson Sobel Cosmetic Surgery website.
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Anderson Sobel Cosmetic Surgery
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425-453-9060
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