Award recognizes six outstanding students as next generation of leaders
Think IT Association, in partnership with Genesys Works – Twin Cities, is thrilled to announce the launch of the Think IT Young Professional Scholarship. The scholarship program, which is in its first year, was created to help foster the growth of the next generation of IT leaders by providing financial support and mentors to high-potential students.
Each of the six recipients is an alumnus of the Genesys Works – Twin Cities Program and is currently enrolled at a four-year college or university. The recipients come from the University of Minnesota, University of St. Thomas and Augsburg College with majors in Business, Biochemistry, Information Security and Computer Science. Students submitted an online application created by scholarship administrator Wallin Education Partners and finalists were then interviewed by a panel comprised of staff from Think IT and Genesys Works, along with two local IT leaders.
“The future of IT and IT innovation is in the hands of today’s tech students,” said Richard Walker, Chairman of Think IT. “So it’s very important that we do our part to equip them with the necessary resources to not only succeed in their educational endeavors, but make a true difference. We are absolutely excited about these outstanding individuals as the first-year winners of the scholarship and are anxious to see them succeed.”
The funds for the scholarship were raised through Think IT’s Link to Leadership Program from which the net proceeds go to Genesys Works. Each student will be awarded an $8,000 scholarship to be utilized over the course of two academic years that will cover any costs of attendance. Each recipient will also receive professional advising and persistence services from Wallin Education Partners and one-on-one professional mentoring from Link to Leadership alumni, who are practicing IT professionals, for the duration of the scholarship period.
The mission of Genesys Works is to help change the life trajectory of underprivileged students by providing them with meaningful work experience during their senior year of high school. However, Genesys Works has realized that maintaining this support system throughout the students’ college years is crucial for success — which is where the joint effort with Think IT originated to help bridge such an important transition.
“The Genesys Works program does an excellent job of providing its students with real experience in the workplace, so it’s equally important that their alumni have the opportunity to apply that knowledge in an academic setting as well. We are appreciative of the support from our professional mentors and are truly happy to be a part of something like this,” continued Walker.
For more information about Genesys Works, please visit: http://www.genesysworks.org/twincities/.
About Think IT Association
The overall mission of Think IT is to foster professional growth and development through the power of networking and collaboration. Think IT Association was founded in 2009 and currently has over 2,300 members in eight different groups in Minneapolis, over 300 members in Chicago, and over 100 members in Saint Louis. Most groups meet on a monthly basis in an informal roundtable format with a different member from the group facilitating (not presenting) each session.
Think IT feels strongly about the importance of giving back and is very lucky to also have a community of generous IT professionals to help contribute to their efforts. The goal with each community outreach opportunity is to not only personally lend a helping hand, but to create greater awareness for each organization’s amazing efforts within the local community.
For more information, visit Think IT’s website: http://www.thinkitassociation.org/.
To learn more about the Link to Leadership program, please click here.
Posted By: Ariana Hampton-Marcell