Chaincode Labs, a privately funded Bitcoin research and development centre based in New York City, has awarded its inaugural Bitcoin Scholarship to 17-year-old Ishaana Misra, the youngest contributor to Bitcoin Core in the technology’s 15-year history.
Misra was selected from 232 applicants globally for the scholarship, covering one year’s academic expenses. She can renew it annually to potentially fund her entire undergraduate education.
“This scholarship exists to encourage young people to consider a career in Bitcoin open source development,” said Adam Jonas, CEO of Chaincode Labs. “In order to do that, they need experience. This seemed like the right kind of incentive where we are helping them continue their education and they spend their summers contributing to Bitcoin open source software.”
Misra started programming at 12, but her Bitcoin journey began before high school when she read the whitepaper. She quickly went from running a node to contributing to Bitcoin Core, teaching herself C++.
“I’m usually the youngest at Bitcoin developer meetups, but I don’t think about it much anymore,” said Misra. “Your work really speaks for itself. If you’re interested, people will take you seriously.”
It’s inspiring to see the younger generation getting involved with Bitcoin development and being supported, as it will encourage more youth to contribute.