Creating the path for first-generation students in California's Central Valley to careers in Artificial Intelligence.
paynepathway.com
Scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year have now closed. Scholarships for the 2027-2028 academic year will open in the fall of 2026.
To create the path for first-generation students in the Central Valley from underserved communities to the higher education required for a career in Artificial Intelligence.
The Central Valley feeds the nation but has lacked pathways to the tech economy. We believe talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. The Payne Pathway Fund exists to change that.
Recent coverage and community work showing Payne Pathway in motion: scholarships, AI advocacy, and Hack the Valley.
Juan and Daniella Villacorta are first-generation students pursuing computer science — exactly the kind of local talent this fund exists to back.
Read the article ↗
Community Voice
Skylar’s Bakersfield Californian op-ed frames the urgency behind the work.
Read the op-ed ↗
Community + Event
Workshops, mentorship, projects, and a durable local tech network.
Visit Hack the Valley ↗Students from the Central Valley who are first in their families to pursue higher education.
Students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education.
Students who have big dreams but face financial or systemic obstacles to achieving them.
Jacqueline Aguilar
Co-Founder
A first-generation college graduate and an AI engineer, building a path for others.
Skylar and Jacqueline were both raised in Bakersfield. Their shared values of family, community, and the belief that education transforms lives brought them together.
Skylar's decade of experience building AI systems in the Bay Area for large tech companies gives him deep expertise in what employers need. Jacqueline understands the barriers students face. Together, they founded the Payne Pathway Fund to connect Central Valley students to careers in artificial intelligence.
Skylar Payne
Co-Founder