TALLAHASSEE, Fla. and NEW YORK, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, and Equality Florida are releasing video of LGBTQ families and educators in Florida speaking out about returning to school today with new laws in effect targeting them.
Newsrooms can download the videos, scripts, additional interviews, stills and graphics to include in their back to school coverage.
LGBTQ people and families in Florida speak out about the impact of anti-LGBTQ legislation in class as students go back to school.
New laws are banning LGBTQ-related conversation in class, books are removed from shelves and state leaders are targeting evidence-based healthcare, despite the fact that every major medical association supports it as safe and lifesaving for transgender youth.
GLAAD’s poll of LGBTQ and ally voters in Florida finds 71% believe the laws’ intent is to attack LGBTQ people; 70% say the laws are emotionally damaging to children.
The poll shows 77% strongly agree it’s more important than ever to vote as human rights for women and LGBTQ Floridians are being taken away by elected state officials, and that 67% are “extremely motivated” to vote in the midterm elections.
77% of LGBTQ and ally voters have an unfavorable opinion of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The 2018 gubernatorial race was decided by 32,463 votes out of 8+ million. LGBTQ and ally voters are positioned to make a decisive difference in Florida’s election this fall. (Read the pollster memo.)
“Florida’s LGBTQ and ally voters must send an unmistakable message that they are not going back in the closet or back in time,” said GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis. “Discriminatory, defamatory and dangerous rhetoric and behavior must stop now.”
“It is imperative that Floridians use the power of their votes to hold Governor DeSantis and his allies accountable for the hate they unleashed on our state,” said Equality Florida Press Secretary, Brandon Wolf.
4.6% of Floridians are LGBTQ; 24% of LGBTQ Floridians are raising children.
About Equality Florida: Equality Florida is the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community. Visit eqfl.org or follow Equality Florida on Facebook and Twitter.
About GLAAD: GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. Visit www.glaad.org, connect on Facebook and Twitter, contact: press@glaad.org
HERNDON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$LRN#JobShadowWeek–The established leader in online learning is giving students a new opportunity to look towards the future, as Job Shadow Week 2021 kicks off on July 19. Presented by Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN), in collaboration with Tallo, Nepris, and Gamechangers, the free virtual event invites ambitious middle and high school students from across the country to engage with companies and professionals across a diverse array of industries. Students will explore future career options and hear from companies and organizations including Amazon, CVS, and NASA.
Job Shadow Week 2021 begins as the future of the nation’s post-pandemic economy is still yet to be determined, as is the impact of a unique school year. According to a recent study, 65% of U.S. parents are looking for summer opportunities to help their kids make up for deficits caused by lost classroom time amid the pandemic. And when it comes to exploring career options, 82% of high school students and their families are likely to choose a schooling option with a career learning offering. Events like Job Shadow Week invite students to explore future careers before they’ve even graduated high school.
“More and more students are graduating high school and even college with little idea what they want to do next. Early career learning opportunities like Job Shadow Week give them a risk-free way to explore their interests and realize where their skills and passions can take them,” said Dr. Shaun McAlmont, President of Career Learning Solutions at Stride. “We’re proud to bring these experiences to life for students and we’re excited to see the impact they make in the future.”
The free events will be hosted live through Nepris’ interactive online platform, allowing students to gain personal experience in a virtual workplace. Throughout the week, students will learn from professionals in retail, STEM, agriculture, healthcare, and marketing industries. There will also be sessions on practical job-finding skills, such as personal branding and resume-building. Speakers include:
Abby Rodgers, Business Development Manager at Amazon, will share how students can grow their cloud expertise and explore, invent, and build with Amazon’s affiliate, AWS Education. Students will get an inside look into the journey of an IT professional.
Emily Todd, Director of Education Initiatives at Tallo, will give an inside look into the Tallo platform and help students use it to maximize their employment and scholarship opportunities.
Heather Mauk, Workforce Initiatives Advisor at CVS, will share information about the full CVS enterprise and the available career pathways–particularly the impact-making field of pharmacy technicians – a gateway to many positions in the company.
Jennifer Cross, Associate Care Manager at Adecco Staffing, USA will provide students with practical tips on digital branding, online presence, and securing their dream careers.
Nicole Lewis, Founder & CEO of Nicole Lewis & Associates, LLC, will present on multiple career-building skills, including personal branding, job-searches, resume-building, and elevator pitches.
Job Shadow Week is free to students age 13 or older. For a full list of presenters, to register, and to learn about other Stride-powered summer opportunities, visit www.k12.com/summercamps.
About Stride, Inc.
At Stride, Inc. (NYSE: LRN) we are reimagining learning – where learning is lifelong, deeply personal, and prepares learners for tomorrow. The company has transformed the teaching and learning experience for millions of people by providing innovative, high-quality, tech-enabled education solutions, curriculum, and programs directly to students, schools, the military, and enterprises in primary, secondary, and post-secondary settings. Stride is a premier provider of K-12 education for students, schools, and districts, including career learning services through middle and high school curriculum. For adult learners, Stride delivers professional skills training in healthcare and technology, as well as staffing and talent development for Fortune 500 companies. Stride has delivered millions of courses over the past decade and serves learners in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The company is a proud sponsor of the Future of School, a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gap between the pace of technology and the pace of change in education. More information can be found at stridelearning.com, K12.com, galvanize.com, techelevator.com, and medcerts.com.
Recipients will gain technical skills to start or advance their open source careers
SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, has announced the recipients of the 2021 Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarships. LiFT aims to increase diversity in open source technology by providing access to online and in-person training and certification exams for underserved demographics at no cost to the recipient. Since 2010, The Linux Foundation has awarded over 1,100 scholarships for millions of dollars worth of specialized, technical training to those who may not have the ability to afford this opportunity otherwise.
This year, The Linux Foundation awarded scholarships to 500 of the over 1,250 applicants who vied to be selected in one of ten categories.
This year’s selected pool of talent represents the potential for greatness in future participation in the open source community. Ages of recipients range from 13 to 68 with the average age being 30 years old. With the recipients also coming from 107 countries on six continents, the open source novices and seasoned tech professionals selected to receive this year’s scholarships serve as a reminder that interest in open source and technology generally crosses all demographics.
“We are excited to have our most diverse group of LiFT scholarship candidates ever,” said Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin. “When the COVID-19 pandemic struck last year, we decided to vastly increase the number of scholarships to 500 to be awarded in order to help some of those affected. With the effects of the pandemic lingering, we realized it was essential to award 500 again this year rather than return to historic levels. The level of talent and potential evident amongst this year’s winners is staggering, and we are happy to be able to contribute to their future success.”
Highlighted scholarship recipients for 2021 in each category are:
Blockchain Blockbusters Saba Kifle, 34, USA Saba is a UN Delegate for the UN Blockchain Commission for Sustainable Development and a part of the Women of Color in Blockchain Congressional Caucus. She is one of the few queer black woman working in the space and is very passionate about inspiring others in her community to get involved in blockchain. With this training, Saba – who speaks four languages – hopes to be better able to reach those who are more technically trained and may be interested in learning more about blockchain.
Santiago Figueroa-Lorenzo, 33, Spain Santiago is a blockchain researcher at the University of Navarra who has run into difficulties performing efficient and immediate deployments of blockchain networks so that the proofs of concept to be performed are more immediate. He has accumulated experience working with technologies such as NodeJS, Web3JS, ReactJS, Hyperledger Fabric, Hyperledger Indy, and Hyperledger Besu. Santiago hopes that obtaining a Certified Hyperledger Fabric Administrator (CHFA) certification will reduce the learning curve, allowing him to focus on the research itself.
Cloud Captains Badisa Mosesane, 29, Botswana Badisa is a student at the University of Botswana where he studies computer science. He has been working with engineers developing automatic software deployments on High Performance Computing Linux clusters as an intern at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in the USA, where he developed a platform for visualizing cluster performance metrics, built a cloud-based user support cognitive chatbot, and supports advanced cyberinfrastructure operations of this major supercomputing center.
Andrija Sagic, 44, Serbia Andrija is a cultural heritage digitization professional who heads the Digital Development Department for the Milutin Bojic Library, where he is trying to find a sustainable solution for the need for small cultural institutions to present their digital content, namely storage and web access. He hopes the training he receives from this scholarship will help him to achieve that goal.
Developer Do-Gooders Danson Muia, 25, Kenya Danson works to develop software tools that solve problems at a local level using open source solutions. One recent project he created is an online property management system for small landlords in Kenya. He has open sourced much of his code on GitHub, and hopes the knowledge he gains from this scholarship will enable him to create and share even better tools to benefit his community.
Pablo Velasquez, 32, Colombia Pablo is a part of an organization in Medellin called Global Shapers, which strives to increase digital literacy and inclusion in the region. Projects he has worked on include an online system for arranging food donations and distribution to those in need, and setting up a local network to provide internet access to children. He plans to use the scholarship to study Node.js and use the open source technology to help even more people in his community.
Linux Kernel Gurus Vandana Salve, 47, India Vandana has years of experience working with the Linux kernel. From building Linux embedded systems for board support packages to developing device drivers and working on kernel security, she has contributed significantly to the community. She hopes to use this training to gain additional skills that will enable her to contribute even more to open source.
Alaa Emad Hossney, 31, Egypt Alaa, who has a degree in embedded system engineering, participated in a Linux kernel mentorship in the spring of 2021, where she worked on fixing bugs in the kernel. She also was an Outreachy intern at Mozilla, where she worked on adding features on Firefox. She plans to use the knowledge she gains from this scholarship to pursue a career as a kernel developer, with a focus on embedded systems.
Networking Notables Nathalia Nascimento, 28, Brazil Nathalia has been working with Linux servers since 2009. After finishing university with a degree in computer engineering, she wanted to deepen her knowledge about computer networks but found the high level of vendor lock-in frustrating. She began learning about Software Defined Networking (SDN) and for the past five years has been working to implement it. Nathalia hopes to gain more knowledge about SDN and open networking generally from this training, in order to implement fully open source network infrastructures.
Ashish Kashinath, 30, USA Ashish is a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he works on SDN solutions for safety-critical networks. His work focuses on predictability in terms of latency and bandwidth guarantees for such networks, and has developed SDN applications using open networking tools like OpenFlow and OpenvSwitch. Ashish is excited to use this scholarship to learn more about Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and apply that knowledge to his research.
Open Source Newbies Zivile Silveira, 37, Brazil Zivile studied economics in school and has been a homemaker in recent years, but wants to transition careers with the goal of becoming a data engineer. She is fairly new to Linux and software development generally, but enjoyed learning about the command line and various applications of Linux in The Linux Foundation’s free Introduction to Linux course. Zivile hopes the knowledge she gains studying system administration with this scholarship will help her advance toward her career goals.
Tan Shaella Suhendro, 25, Indonesia Shaella studied interior design at university, but has since become interested in STEM. Interior design and architecture software tools are typically proprietary, so she wanted to learn more about open source alternatives. She has been independently studying open source tools and programming languages including C, Python and R. One of the things Shaella did to learn more about open source is complete The Linux Foundation’s free Introduction to Linux course, where she enjoyed learning about the command line and tricks to use Linux more efficiently. She sees the training provided by this scholarship as the next step in her journey to learning more about technology.
SysAdmin Super Stars Juan Luis Porras Loria, 31, Italy Juan Luis is pursuing a masters degree in geophysics at the University of Pisa, where he has installed geophysical processing software on Linux environments. Originally from Costa Rica, he worked as a research assistant at the seismological observatory where he helped maintain and secure Linux servers, and deployed virtual machines to perform specific tasks and ensure connections between end-users and the Linux servers. Juan Luis would like to use this training to become a system administrator who helps the geosciences field to implement more open source software.
Zafer Balkan, 33, Turkey Zafer is a graduate of the Turkish Military Academy and currently serves with the NATO Deployable Corps while pursuing a cybersecurity degree at Tallinn University. He has also worked in developer, security and sysadmin roles for both the Turkish military and NATO. Zafer hopes to use the knowledge gained from this scholarship to encourage the use of more open source tools in defense to reduce vendor lock-in and improve security.
Teens-in-Training Monil Vadodariya, 16, India Monil is a straight-A student in high school who appreciates how important open source tools are for advancing new technologies like AI, machine learning, and blockchain. In his spare time he volunteers to teach younger kids about technology. Monil has participated in a number of hackathons, and helped develop software tools for his school including a proctored quiz system.
Mateo León, 17, Chile Mateo is a senior in high school who wants to study software engineering. He has taught himself about a number of technologies including programming languages like Java, Python, and C++, and developed his own cryptocurrency forked from Bitcoin. He has contributed to open source cryptocurrency projects by serving as an English-Spanish translator. Mateo hopes to use the knowledge gained from this scholarship to be a more effective developer.
Web Development Wiz Olufemi Benjamin Anjorin, 21, Nigeria Olufemi is a physics student at the University of Lagos who works part time as a software engineer. He uses open source technologies daily for projects such as building an open source interactive voice response system for crowdsourcing real time reports during natural disasters and other crises in Nigeria. Olufemi hopes this scholarship will build his technical skills to grow as a software engineer, and help him develop innovative software and systems solutions to solve problems within his community.
George Gognadze, 26, Georgia George is pursuing a masters degree in computer science who is passionate about open source. He built the first web application in Georgia to report bullying, and has been involved in numerous local technology events. He hopes to be able to share the knowledge he gains from this scholarship with others in his community, and begin contributing back to the broader open source community.
Women in Open Source Fakhar un Nisa, 29, Pakistan Fakhar is a trained veterinarian who is pursuing a PhD with a focus in cattle genomics. She is using Linux for analysis and interpretation of data around genotyping of different cattle breeds. Although she has little experience with Linux, Fakhar hopes that the training from this scholarship will make her more effective in her research, and believes strongly that the future of her field will be led by bioinformatics.
Dalal Mouani, 22, Morocco Dalal, who speaks five languages, is currently pursuing a masters degree in data science. She eventually hopes to achieve a PhD in intelligent systems and to build intelligent applications. She has already built an OCR program for her university, and a web application for emotion detection. Dalal hopes this scholarship will give her skills she can use to improve her application development goals.
Additional Resources The full list of 2021 LiFT Scholarship recipients can be viewed here Photographs of 2021 LiFT Scholarship recipients can be downloaded here
About the Linux Foundation Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation’s projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation’s methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us atlinuxfoundation.org.
The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
DES MOINES, Iowa, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) is proud to announce the 2021 William Woods Tate, Jr. Student of the Year: Cobin Syzmanski, class of 2021, from St. Michael-Albertville High School in Minnesota.
Cobin Syzmanski, the 2021 William Woods Tate Jr., National Student of the Year
“We are thrilled to award Cobin with the William Woods Tate, Jr. National Student of the Year Award,” said J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Speech & Debate Association. “In addition to being extremely competitively successful, they have gone above and beyond to make the speech and debate community a safer place for students. Our activity is a better place because of Cobin’s hard work, and I know that they’ll continue to use that passion to change the world.”
As a debater, Cobin took 7th place at the 2020 National Speech & Debate Tournament in Public Forum Debate. They qualified again for the 2021 National Tournament in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
Cobin serves as the Research and Education Director for Beyond Resolved, a student-led organization that works to expand access and increase inclusivity within the speech and debate community. They led the Transgender Narrative Program, a project which collected experiences, lessons, and advice from sixteen transgender competitors to share with the community. Their work even led them to be invited to speak at the Blake Diversity in Debate Conference, where they were able to share a student perspective on the state of debate with coaches and judges from around the country.
“Through speech and debate, I learned what it means to advocate against and navigate through systems of oppression,” said Cobin. “I learned what it means to belong.”
“It is my pleasure to nominate Cobin Szymanski for Student of the Year,” said Ashley Howden, speech and debate coach at St. Michael-Albertville High School. “I am genuinely inspired by their attitude toward speech and debate, their ambitious drive to affect change, and the efforts they have taken to improve the community.”
The William Woods Tate, Jr., National Student of the Year award, presented by Richard Bitner in honor of Bob Stockton, is one of the most honorable and renowned student awards presented by the National Speech & Debate Association. The Student of the Year is awarded to a graduating senior member who has been honored as a District Student of the Year and who best represents the tenets of the Association’s Code of Honor: humility, equity, integrity, respect, leadership, and service.
About the National Speech & Debate Association The National Speech & Debate Association is the authority on public speaking and debate in the United States. The Association builds the infrastructure for speech and debate competitions around the world by providing topics, educational resources, and training for students and coaches. For nearly 100 years, the National Speech & Debate Association has built a platform for youth voices that culminates in the National Tournament, the largest academic competition in the world. For more information, visit www.speechanddebate.org.
NEW YORK, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — In celebration of Pride Month, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has donated $1.5 million to GLSEN. The three-year grant will be allocated between the Phoenix Chapter ($1 million) and the National Organization ($500,000) and will support the organization’s mission to ensure that every member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
“In our personal lives and through The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, one of our overarching goals is to be champions of inclusivity,” said President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel Renee Parsons. “Every person deserves to feel whole, equal and welcome.”
GLSEN research has found that six out of 10 LGBTQ students have felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and nearly eight out of 10 have avoided school functions because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable. The level of harassment these students experience negatively affects their ability to learn due to increased absenteeism and lower educational aspirations. The anti-LGBTQ bias can also have a profound impact on a student’s overall health and well-being.
“Many LGBTQ youth face cruel, often unbearable levels of bullying and discrimination,” said PXG Founder and CEO Bob Parsons. “GLSEN is working to help all K-12 students feel safe at school and accepted for who they are.”
GLSEN has developed four focus areas to help schools cultivate an inclusive, safe and supportive environment for all their students, especially those of marginalized identities.
Activating supportive educators, who are crucial to creating LGBTQ-inclusive classroom environments
Advocating for inclusive & affirming curriculum, which not only offers support to LGBTQ students but raises the awareness of all students
Passing and implementing laws and policies to ensure that LGBTQ students can learn and thrive in safe, inclusive, accepting schools
Supporting student-led clubs because student leaders are integral to creating community and pushing for change
“We are filled with gratitude for this generous grant from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation,” said Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, GLSEN’s Interim Executive Director. “It is because of allies like Bob and Renee Parsons that organizations like GLSEN are able to work towards making the world a safe and celebratory place for LGBTQ+ children and young people. In addition to financial support, it’s incredible to have partners who focus their power, reach and influence to lift up our community.”
“This transformational gift will enable GLSEN Phoenix to mobilize even more school communities, so that all of our children get to be and become who they ought to be,” said GLSEN Phoenix founding co-chair Madelaine Adelman, Ph.D. “Feeling safe at school means having a sense of belonging, being respected, learning about yourself and others — this is simply the best way to learn.”
In addition to celebrating this grant during Pride Month, GLSEN Phoenix is launching a legacy monthly giving program. To learn more and invest in local efforts to create LGBTQ-inclusive K-12 schools, please visit https://www.glsenphoenix.org/. To learn more about the organization on a national level, visit https://www.glsen.org/ and follow @glsen on social.
About GLSEN Phoenix Founded in October 2002, GLSEN Phoenix is part of a national GLSEN chapter network that works to ensure that each student in every K-12 school is valued and treated with respect, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We believe that all students deserve safe and inclusive K-12 schools. LGBTQ students who feel unsafe and unsupported at school are more likely to have been victimized and discriminated against at school, and thus, more likely to have high absenteeism, more likely to have lower GPAs, less likely to participate in school activities, more likely to have lower self esteem and a lower sense of school belonging, less likely to graduate from high school, and less likely to consider going to college. We invest the community’s time, talent, and treasure into four evidence-based interrelated areas of activity: supportive teachers, protective policies, inclusive curriculum, and empowered, student-led Gender/Sexuality Alliance (GSA) clubs. To learn more about our local programs, visit: glsenphoenix.org, facebook.com/glsen.phoenix, instagram.com/glsenphoenix, twitter.com/glsen_phoenix
About GLSEN GLSEN works to create safe and inclusive schools for all. We envision a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression. Each year, GLSEN programs and resources reach millions of students and educators in K-12 schools, via action at the national, state, and local level. Over nearly three decades of work, GLSEN has improved conditions for LGBTQ students across the United States and launched an international movement to address LGBTQ issues in education and promote respect for all in schools. Find more information on GLSEN’s policy advocacy, student leadership initiatives, school-based programs, research, and professional development for educators at www.glsen.org.
About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons to provide hope and life-changing assistance to the country’s most vulnerable populations, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. The Foundation’s giving is driven by the core belief that all people – regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity – deserve access to quality healthcare, education and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org, to learn more about partner organizations and the important work being done in the community.
Local Media Contact: GLSEN Phoenix | Madelaine Adelman | mad@glsenphoenix.org | 602-920-1025
Certification bodies must speedily deliver programs at scale to meet demand
TRUMBULL, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#IT–Technical certifications are increasingly in demand with 87% of IT employees possessing at least one and 40% pursuing their next.1 According to Questionmark, the online assessment provider, certification bodies must ensure they can quickly deliver, and robustly assess, their programs to meet new levels of demand.
With the rapid advancement of workplace tech over the last year, 75% of IT decision makers are struggling to find the skills they need to meet new challenges.2 Certifications can help equip workers with new skills and enable employers to retain the best staff.
Technical certifications provide benefits for employers and workers:
65% of IT solutions providers agree that having certified staff generates more business.3
94% of IT decision makers worldwide say that certified team members provide above and beyond the cost of certifications.4
61% of companies noticed the economic benefit to them of having certified individuals was greater than US$10,000 per annum per certified person.5
67% of workers agree that getting certified has increased their ability to solve problems.6
John Kleeman, Founder of Questionmark, said: “Research shows that adding certified people to teams increases revenue. With the advantages of certifications increasingly clear to employers and individuals, future demand is likely to be greater than ever before.
“To take advantage of this demand, certification bodies must be able to deliver, and robustly assess, their programs at speed and scale.”
Questionmark provides certification bodies with enterprise-grade technology that frictionlessly integrates all aspects of delivering an assessment into one platform. It is:
Adaptable and easy to use: it is easy to create content and adapt questions. The platform instantly marks papers and compiles results. Patterns and trends are easy to spot.
Secure online environment: the platform’s proctoring gateway enables the test setter to integrate the right anti-cheating solution, depending on the stakes of the assessment.
Frictionless integration: of ecommerce, reporting and digital badging for successful candidates.
Questionmark unlocks performance through reliable and secure online assessments.
Questionmark provides a secure enterprise-grade assessment platform and professional services to leading organizations around the world, delivered with care and unequalled expertise. Its full-service online assessment tool and professional services help customers to improve their performance and meet their compliance requirements. Questionmark enables organizations to unlock their potential by delivering assessments which are valid, reliable, fair and defensible.
Questionmark offers secure powerful integration with other LMS, LRS and proctoring services making it easy to bring everything together in one place. Questionmark’s cloud-based assessment management platform offers rapid deployment, scalability for high-volume test delivery, 24/7 support, and the peace-of-mind of secure, audited U.S., Australian and European-based data centers.
During 20th Anniversary Year, Organization to Award Record Number of Scholarships
LOS ANGELES, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Point Foundation (Point), the nation’s largest scholarship granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students, announced its 2021 Flagship Scholarship recipients. Since its founding in 2001, Point has invested $43 million in supporting college educations. Each Point scholar receives financial support, access to multiple leadership development programs, mentorship or coaching, and the support of a community of scholars and alumni to help them succeed.
20th Anniversary Logo for Point Foundation
In this, its 20th anniversary year, 21 new Point Flagship Scholars were selected from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants; they will join 38 current recipients. Over the final two weeks of Pride Month, Point will also welcome 58 students to their Community College Scholarship Program, award 45 BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Scholarships, and another 60 students will receive Opportunity Grants. Overall, Point plans to award more than 320 scholarships in the 2021-22 academic year ahead.
“We received more than 2000 applications for the Flagship Scholar program this year, and it was one of our most competitive selections ever,” said Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and CEO. “We know these scholars will succeed and we’re here for them every step of the way. I’m also excited to announce that in the coming weeks we will award more Community College and BIPOC scholarships than ever before – more than doubling the number of students we supported last year.”
The 2021 Point Scholars, including their area of study, degree, school, and Named Scholarship (where applicable) are as follows:
Undergraduates
Sofia Arlen, Yale University, Ethics, Politics, and Economics
Morgan Beaven, Arizona State University, Public Service and Public Policy, Wells Fargo Scholarship
Andreas Copes, Temple University, Communication and Journalism Studies
Donnavan Dillon, University of Kansas, Political Science, Alfred A. Cave Scholarship
Manny Faria, Stanford University, Neurobiology, Jeff Ogle & Jeff Stearns Scholarship
Isaac James, University of Texas at Austin, Government, Plan II Honors, and LGBTQ Studies, Patti Sue Mathis Scholarship
Felix Kiene-Gualtieri, New York University, Photography and Imaging, Wells Fargo Scholarship
Jo Lew, Southern Methodist University, Political Science, Public Policy, and Human Rights
Arianna Peró, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Physics and Human Rights, Synchrony Foundation Scholarship
Marc Ridgell, Washington University in St. Louis, African and African American Studies, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, & Sociology
Yvin Shin, Columbia University, Political Science and Neuroscience, Stacy R. Friedman Scholarship
Jenna Smith, Duke University, Political Science, Wells Fargo Scholarship
Erin Wilson, Spelman College, Theoretical Astrophysics, Michael J. Jeffrey and Jeffrey J. Mitchell Scholarship
Graduate School
Davy Deng, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,
Adriann Dolphin, Harvard University, Business
Jessie Garcia Gutiérrez, University of California, Berkeley, Social Welfare & Public Health, Victoria’s Secret Scholarship
Em Kuo, Northwestern University, Business
Kelvin Moore, University of California, San Francisco, Medicine
Sydney Rinehart, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Social Work, Rand Skolnick Endowed Scholarship
Mikiko Thelwell, University of California, Los Angeles, Medicine, Anchor Trust Scholarship
Jamar Williams, Harvard University, Public Policy & Business
This year’s scholarship awards are made possible because of the generosity of lead supporters which include (in alphabetical order): Coach Foundation, DTS, FedEx, Lands’ End, Katy Perry, MacKenzie Scott, Toyota, Victoria’s Secret, Wells Fargo, and more.
About Point Foundation Point Foundation empowers promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – to make a significant impact on society. Since 2002, Point has awarded more than 400 scholarships, making it the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students of merit. Point Foundation promotes change through scholarship funding, mentorship, leadership development and community service training. pointfoundation.org|facebook.com/pointfoundation|twitter.com/pointfoundation|instagram.com/pointfoundation
Kombucha King GT Dave Honors Pride Month with Funding for Future LGBTQ+ Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs
World’s Leading Kombucha Brand Launches New Summer Initiative ‘CommUNITY’
LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Founder & CEO of GT’s Living Foods, GT Dave, announced today the Synergy Scholarship on behalf of new, non-profit entity, the GT Dave Foundation. The Synergy Scholarship fund is a $250,000 commitment awarded to LGBTQ+ youth pursuing entrepreneurial careers. The announcement of the Synergy Scholarship comes as part of a larger summer 2021 initiative, CommUNITY, celebrating three key pillars: uplifting diverse peoples, preservation of the planet, and accessibility to nutritious foods.
As a pioneer in the health and wellness movement and the creator of an iconic brand that has earned him the moniker “Kombucha King,” GT began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 15 years old. Struggling with the woes of starting a business, GT was also growing up as a gay man and exploring his identity. Through strength and perseverance, he channeled his creativity and unique point of view into the company that today holds leading rank as the #1 kombucha brand in the world.
“For many LGBTQ+ youth, there’s a quiet, internal battle that happens; a voice from within that can at times carry guilt and shame… I say not anymore. I want to be the megaphone that drowns out that voice and affirms that you are loved, you are special, and your ideas matter,'” says GT. “I believe young people are the driving force of change, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. As a gay entrepreneur who is still learning and growing in the business world, I can confidently say there’s no set path to follow, so pave your own. With the Synergy Scholarship, I am dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ youth and helping to mobilize their entrepreneurial dreams.”
The Synergy Scholarship will be open to high school seniors who will graduate during the 2021-2022 academic year and who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. The scholarship will be awarded each year for five years, divided into differing amounts to deserving young people, totaling $250,000 by 2027. These individuals will have a passion and desire to improve their communities and the world through business and entrepreneurialism. Applicants must also demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue a degree at an accredited US post-secondary institution. In addition to the monetary contribution, GT will mentor the winners offering business guidance and advice during their awarded year.
In honor of Pride and the diversity pillar of the CommUNITY initiative, the Synergy Scholarship will help create new opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth. The remainder of CommUNITY’s key tenets – planet preservation and food accessibility – will come to life in partnership with LA-based TreePeople, who since 1973 has grown to become Southern California’s largest environmental movement with a mission to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, and the Farmers Market Coalition, the only national non-profit dedicated to supporting farmers markets, in July and August, respectively.
The Synergy Scholarship will begin accepting applications in October 2021.
About GT’s Living Foods: We believe that Mother Nature is the World’s greatest healer. Since 1995, GT’s Living Foods has revolutionized how people think and feel about Kombucha and fermented foods in the Western World. From the womb, founder GT Dave was raised vegetarian and taught that food can be medicine. He continues to uphold that philosophy with always pure, potent, and plant-derived fermented offerings produced in their most authentic form, never compromised. The fiercely independent, family-owned, and operated company is available in over 55,000 retailers across North America and Europe. Today and beyond, GT’s Living Foods’ driving purpose is to spread a global message that food can be medicine and through proper nutrition one can heal thyself. For more information, please visit www.gtslivingfoods.com.
About TreePeople: TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment. Since 1973, TreePeople’s mission has driven them towards creating a climate resilient region by empowering and supporting residents to build neighborhoods that are connected, adaptive and thus more resilient to climate change. With several thousand active volunteers, TreePeople endeavors to engage and educate the people throughout the region through their award-winning evidence-based programs. To learn more, go to: www.TreePeople.org.
About Famers Market Coalition: The Farmers Market Coalition is a membership-based nonprofit with the mission to strengthen farmers markets for the benefit of farmers, consumers, and communities. Since 2006, FMC has been serving as the only national organization dedicated to supporting farmers market operators and has provided important resources, technical assistance, and advocacy to cultivate the growing farmers market field across the US. Farmers markets are essential. Learn more at farmersmarketcoalition.org.
SOURCE GT’s Living Foods
CONTACT: Ashley Tom, GT’s Living Foods, atom@drinkgts.com, The Rose Group, gtspr@therosegrp.com
WESTON, Mass., June 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Fastweb, the leading website for scholarship and financial aid information and a member of the Monster network, supports Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBTQ+) students during Pride month with important resources to help them meet their college goals.
Fastweb’s newest resource, LGBTQ+ Community Scholarships & Internships, connects LGBTQ+ students with relevant scholarship and internship opportunities to help pay for school. Students will find scholarship opportunities now accepting applications in various areas of interest totalling more than $120,000. Students will also find internship opportunities to help them build experience in their chosen career field.
Additional information on scholarship and internship opportunities, college options, and financial aid can be found in these Fastweb resources:
10 Best LGBTQ+ Friendly Colleges. New article highlights LGBTQ+ supportive institutions that focus on awareness and inclusivity.
National Scholarship Directory. All encompassing directory provides all students an efficient way to view scholarships by school year, major, state, and many more categories.
About Fastweb: Fastweb, a top site in the Monster network, is the nation’s recognized leader in helping students pay for school, by providing scholarship and financial aid information, as well as information on jobs and internships. As the oldest and most popular free online scholarship matching service, one out of three college-bound seniors use the site and more than 50 million users have benefitted from Fastweb’s information and services. Fastweb lets students create personalized profiles that can be matched against its expansive databases of colleges and scholarships. To learn more about Fastweb, visit www.fastweb.com and follow Fastweb on social media for the latest on paying for school all year long: Twitter (at @PayingForSchool); Facebook; Instagram and Pinterest.
About Monster Monster is a global leader in connecting the right people to the right jobs. Every day, Monster aims to make every workplace happier and more productive by transforming the way employers find talent and candidates find careers. For 25 years, Monster has worked to transform the recruiting industry. Today, the company leverages innovative digital, social, and mobile solutions to enable employers and candidates to find the right fit. Monster is a digital venture owned by Randstad North America, a subsidiary of Randstad N.V., a $26 billion international provider of flexible work and human resources services.
June 9 event bringing together today’s leading thinkers on unlocking positive habits, mindset, purpose and productivity
SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today Asana, Inc. (NYSE: ASAN), a leading work management platform for teams, announced its Focus & Flow Summit, a virtual event featuring today’s leading thinkers to help individuals achieve focus and flow in a distracted world.
The past year has impacted both our professional and personal lives in profound ways. Navigating the shift to a new way of working will require a proactive and intentional approach to address the challenges encountered in a turbulent year. With work about work, such as unnecessary meetings, on the rise – costing individuals 157 hours in productivity over the past year – as well as longer hours and increasing burnout, achieving focus and flow has never been more challenging.
On June 9, the Focus & Flow Summit will bring together the foremost experts on positive habits, mindset, purpose and productivity to equip individuals with the tools to flourish in and out of the workplace. At the event, Asana will also showcase how it’s delivering on its multi-year vision for the future of work to enable greater focus and flow for individuals and teams, wherever they’re working.
Speakers include:
Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and bestselling author, on making the shift from languishing to flourishing through focus and flow
Morgan DeBuan, Founder & CEO of Blavity Inc., on practicing productivity with purpose
Dr. Michael Gervais, sport and performance psychologist on building mindset skills for peak performance
Dr. Sahar Yousef, cognitive neuroscientist at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and founder of Becoming Superhuman, on improving focus to achieve flow state
Dana Barrett, Head of Global Product Marketing at Asana on our newest features designed to help you find your focus and flow throughout the workday
Asana helps teams orchestrate their work, from small projects to strategic initiatives. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Asana has more than 93,000 paying customers and millions of free organizations across 190 countries. Global customers such as Accenture, Japan Airlines, Sky and Viessmann rely on Asana to manage everything from company objectives to digital transformation to product launches and marketing campaigns. For more information, visit www.asana.com.
View original content:
View original content to download multimedia:
