By: Troy McAlpin, CEO at xMatters
Date: Friday, September 18, 2020
STEM employment opportunities have become the fastest growing job segment in the U.S. However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, women, Black, and Hispanic workers have historically been underrepresented. To address this disparity, The Hidden Genius Project was founded in 2012 by five Black male entrepreneurs/technologists to connect young Black males with the skills, mentors, and experiences they need to become high-performing entrepreneurs and technologists in a 21st century global economy.
A few months ago, we were introduced to this organization and we immediately became inspired. We partnered with The Hidden Genius Project to help them achieve their mission of training and mentoring Black male youth with opportunities in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills to transform their lives and communities. In addition to cash donation support, we’re focused on helping the organization address various business needs, such as developing digital events, corporate fundraising, and achieving specific IT initiatives. We encourage every xMatters team member to donate up to 8 hours of their time (4 hours of work time paid by xMatters and 4 hours of personal time) each week to help the organization achieve their specific business goals.
We partnered with The Hidden Genius Project to help them achieve their mission of training and mentoring Black male youth with opportunities in technology creation, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Through our partnership, we also had the opportunity to meet and subsequently interview David Armstrong, Jr., an extremely talented and driven graduate of The Hidden Genius Project’s 15-month Intensive Immersion Program. David and other high school students that are part of the Immersion Program are provided with over 800 hours of mentorship and training to develop their computer science, software development, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills. Since 2012, this organization has helped over 7,000 students and performed over 300,000 hours of direct training to inspire young people to pursue a career in the tech industry through their Intensive Immersion and Catalyst programs.
We’re excited to have David join xMatters officially as a team member. His curiosity, passion to learn, intelligence, and enthusiasm make him a great fit with our culture — he’s already been a valuable addition to our team.
To show our continued support, we’re proud to be a sponsor of their virtual 9th Annual End of Summer Celebration on Thursday, September 24, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm PT. This event spotlights the accomplishments of The Hidden Genius Project’s program participants and their completion of almost 1,000 hours of training, with details about the program’s future roadmap. With over 120 immersion students and alumni served in 2019, this event will recognize the program’s next group of budding technologists and leaders from Oakland, Richmond, and Los Angeles, including the successful job placement of recent college graduate David Armstrong, Jr.
Since 2012, The Hidden Genius Project has helped over 7,000 students and performed over 300,000 hours of direct training to inspire young people to pursue a career in the tech industry.
During the event, David will make an appearance to share his experience of joining the inaugural program in 2012 and being the first Hidden Genius college graduate. There will also be several presentations by the program’s Hidden Geniuses showcasing their tech projects and sharing the impact the program has made on their lives.
It’s been inspiring to work closely with and support the mission of The Hidden Genius Project. To share in the celebration of the organization’s accomplishments and to learn about the awesome developments as the program continues to grow, register for this free event or become a supporter at www.hiddengeniusproject.org/celebrate. We hope to see you there!
Read the original post HERE.
