United Community Corporation and the Arman Roy Foundation have teamed up to host a free TechSpark Career Panel on Friday, May 21 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. at West Side Park for S.T.E.A.M. students in the City of Newark.
The career panel will feature four professionals currently excelling in the technology field.
The free event requires online registration, which will be cut off at 50 students. Interested applicants must be in grades eight through 12 or a recent high school graduate and can secure their spot by signing up here.
“We’re so excited to offer something different to the youth at West Side Park and the City of Newark,” Yucleidis Melendez, UCC Director of Youth, Family & Senior Services, said. “Many of our students are interested in tech careers. To come together with the Arman Roy Foundation and offer this opportunity to them is a blessing.”
The objective of the panel is to educate and inspire students in the City of Newark by hearing from a group of successful individuals who have a wide array of professional experience in the technology industry.
The panelists will share their own journey towards their career, offer a glimpse into the diversity of tech-related jobs and insights into the types of skills and experiences needed to build a tech career.
The panel will feature Financial Technology Product Leader Mohini Jaiswal, RocketClub Hoboken President Paulo Nunes, Digital Air Technologies Analytics President Richard Thompson and Per Scholas Business Solutions Manager Dante Ward.
"Digital skills are in hot demand, and the majority of all U.S. jobs now involve some level of tech know-how,” Manisha Roy, Arman Roy Foundation Founder, said. “We are excited to host the TechSpark Panel in partnership with UCC and spark some amazing future tech careers for Newark youth.”
The Arman Roy Foundation is a generous sponsor and partner to United Community Corporation’s youth and teen S.T.E.A.M. programs and has provided various workshops with the help of the Montclair Learning Center to teach UCC’s students a wide array of topics from science experiments to circuitry.
“Opening a window to wonder, opportunity and hope starts with imagining a future filled with an exciting and successful career and then taking the first steps to learn about how you make it your reality,” Pryia Roy, Arman Roy Foundation Board Member, said.
Inspired by Arman Roy, the Arman Roy Foundation’s mission is to bridge the digital divide so all youth have the promise of a positive and hopeful future.
The harsh reality is that today over 20-percent of U.S. youth still lack access to a basic computer, internet and the opportunity to learn critical 21st-century tech skills needed in every future vocation.
With over 50-percent of jobs expected to be computerized in 10 years, the divide is widening and largely impacts communities of color.
There are millions of youth who will be left behind unless we light that spark of hope for them - all of this is done in the inspiration of Arman’s Love.
United Community Corporation has been the Community Action Agency of the City of Newark since 1964. With a mission of moving people from dependency to self-sufficiency, UCC has been on the frontlines of the War on Poverty for over 55 years. UCC offers a wide array of services to Newark and the Greater Essex County area including emergency shelter assistance with food and clothing; a food pantry; homeless prevention; senior activities and nutrition; employment assistance and training; out-of-school programs for youth; transportation assistant and affordable housing.