Celebrating Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month. There have been many unbelievable achievements and advancements by women in every field and industry. Whether leaders, visionaries, activists, or technologists, when women are given the chance to lead, we often see positive results.
Yet, with all their transformative contributions, women face unprecedented challenges—and women of color most especially. They remain underrepresented and underpaid in most jobs. And today, the economic recession threatens their very livelihood—with a record 5.3M jobs lost by women since the start of the pandemic.* There is no better time to build a pipeline for women of color in tech. And while the tech industry has a lot more work to do to attract young women to STEM careers, we are optimistic that many are working hard to create tech teams that reflect the diversity of their customers.
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*Source: National Women’s Law Center
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At NPower we created a list of the five ways YOU can celebrate women’s history this month:
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Celebrate Black Women in Science and Technology Month
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Donate to NPower in honor of a woman in tech
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Mentor and inspire a young woman through the NPowerMATCH program
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Prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in your company’s hiring approach
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Read a book that inspires you
Our pick is Women of Color in Tech by Susanne Tedrick
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Congratulations to NPower's Class of Fall 2020!
We held our Fall 2020 Tech Fundamentals graduation on March 11th, where over 400 NPower graduates, supporters, staff, family and friends across the country gathered virtually to celebrate a class described by those that know them best as possessing an unprecedented sense of optimism and hope for the future.
The energetic ceremony featured a dynamic speaker lineup, including inspiring and heartfelt speeches from Dropbox CIO Sylvie Veilleux, NPower graduates Cecile Cromartie (Texas) and Gabrielle McCaleb (MIssouri).
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Fall 2020 Graduate Spotlight
Cecile Cromartie
Network and Voice Services Intern, Citi
NPower Texas
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During her enlistment in the U.S. Army, Cecile Cromartie served as a photojournalist trained to tell the Army story and received multiple awards, including the Army Commendation, Achievement and Good Conduct Medals and a 1st place prize for the U.S. Army Pacific Award for Journalistic Excellence.
After the Army, she held jobs in several fields while gaining increased interest and passion for all things technology. At the time, she felt far away from the career she desired, and struggled to find reputable and affordable IT training. Encountering NPower through an email, she decided to take a leap of faith to enroll. Upon completing the Tech Fundamentals program, she landed a full-time role as a Network and Voice Services Intern at Citi and looks forward to expanding her training and career to the cybersecurity field.
During her uplifting and moving speech in the graduation ceremony, Cecile encouraged her fellow alumni to create their own seats at the proverbial table:
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“We as NPower graduates have proven we are hungry, we are ready and we are coming with our folding chairs.”
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Women of Color in Tech Day
March 12, 2021 marked the second annual celebration of Women of Color in Tech Day. This important day, named through proclamation, is intended to spark important dialogue and spur action. Women of color faced hurdles long before the pandemic, racial unrest and a rattled economy, so the need to advocate and support women is NOW. The day began with government resolutions from across the country in support of our mission and continued with two level-setting conversations on policy in government and practice in industry.
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Partner Spotlight
We are excited to announce a national strategic partnership with ConSol USA that will bring more diversity and equity to the tech sector.
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ConSol USA will hire graduates from NPower’s training programs, support the individuals with advanced skills development and match them with outsourced, full-time technology roles with top-tier corporate clients.
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“This partnership will help NPower alumni and recent graduates gain more hands-on experience and exposure for their newly acquired technology skills.”
—Kim Mitchell, Vice President of Program Strategy, NPower
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Mentorship Matters
Women’s History Month is the perfect time to commit to enriching the lives of women.
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Through the NPowerMatch mentorship program, you’ll have the opportunity to guide an NPower student in multiple areas, including career readiness, professional personal branding, leadership, financial education, ethical self-promotion, problem-solving skills, communication and much more.
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A Gift from Gula Tech Foundation
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We are thrilled and honored to be selected as one of the three recipients of Gula Tech Foundation’s inaugural grant program recognizing impactful nonprofits focused on increasing African American engagement in cybersecurity.
A special thank you to Ron and Cyndi Gula of Gula Tech Adventures for providing this opportunity to enhance our Cybersecurity program's reach and impact and support our trainees in advancing in their cybersecurity careers.
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A Great Loss
We mourn the loss of alumnus Jonathan Bonilla who recently passed away. Jonathan graduated from the NPower New York program in 2019 and secured a position as a Desktop Analyst at ASI System Integration, Inc.
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“Jonathan was humble, polite and very introspective. He came to NPower to create his own success aside from his family's laundromat business. He aspired to be a real estate investor and wanted to fund that dream by stabilizing a career in IT after seeing his cousin's success with the program. He was focused from beginning to end, worked as an appliance technician by day, came to NPower in the afternoon, and spent his evening studying. Gone too soon because with his determination and focus, he would have made his dream come true.”
—Lisa Lowe, Recruitment and Admissions Manager, NPower New York - Brooklyn
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Calling All UX Professionals!
If you or someone you know is in the UX field, NPower is looking for UX consultant support on a special project.
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