14 Organizations in the United States and Canada to Benefit
TEANECK,
N.J., Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) has announced $5.3 million in philanthropic support for 14
organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. This funding will help broaden access
to K-12 STEM education and advance equitable career pathways, a
philanthropic commitment consistent with Cognizant's vision to
leverage technology to improve everyday life. The financial
contributions announced today will support the following
organizations:
● Ada Developers Academy
● Blind Institute of Technology
● Code.org
● Dalhousie University
● DonorsChoose
● Girlstart
● JA Central Ontario
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● Marcy Lab School
● NCWIT
● Road to Hire
● Turing School of Software and Design
● The University of Montana AIMS Program
● The University of Toronto
● Work Shift
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"Cognizant understands the power of technology to modernize,
reimagine, and transform communities," said Tobi Young, Head of Philanthropy, and SVP,
Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, Cognizant. "Through our
philanthropic efforts, we are expanding on-ramps to tech careers
through greater access to high-quality STEM education and inclusion
for those historically underrepresented in the industry. We are
proud to partner with these 14 organizations to accelerate their
work preparing talented young people and adults to succeed in the
workforce of today and tomorrow."
Cognizant has long-standing global
commitment to promote inclusion, elevate underserved
communities, and prepare people for the future of work. Since 2018
alone, Cognizant has provided support to more than 70 organizations
working to provide individuals with the quality education,
training, and job opportunities required to improve economic and
social mobility, among its other corporate social responsibility
initiatives. In 2021, the company announced a new
five-year, $250 million
effort including philanthropic funding and in-kind
contributions to advance economic mobility, educational
opportunity, and health and well-being in communities around the
world.
Expanding Access to STEM Education
Today, only 53% of
K-12 schools offer computer science. Code.org and
NCWIT work to advance research, professional development,
and advocacy efforts to increase access to and participation in
computer science at schools across the U.S.
Programming from Dalhousie
University, Girlstart, JA Central Ontario,
University of Montana, and
University of Toronto empowers
the next generation of STEM professionals by connecting students
with engaging and industry-informed learning opportunities.
DonorsChoose provides educators across the U.S. with the
resources they need to support young learners; funding from
Cognizant will support K-12 computer science-related classroom
projects on DonorsChoose during Computer Science Education Week,
taking place Dec. 5-11, 2022.
Advancing Equitable Pathways to Careers in
Technology
Ada Developers Academy, Blind Institute of
Technology, Marcy Lab School,
Road to Hire, and Turing School of Software and
Design boost diversity and equity in the tech industry through
innovative educational opportunities for learners from historically
excluded and underrepresented backgrounds.
Work Shift is an independent digital media hub for
news, analysis, and opinion focused on whether education and
training programs deliver the talent and opportunity that society
needs. The outlet provides in-depth coverage of industry-leading
programs, ensuring students, families, policymakers, and companies
learn about promising education and career pathways.
Quotes from partner organizations:
Ada Developers Academy — Alexandra
Holien, Interim CEO: "Ada is changing the face of tech,
and we are thrilled that Cognizant is investing in our work. When
we look at who is most left out of tech and the American economy
overall, it's women and gender-expansive folks, especially Black
and brown women. Ada's tuition-free program launches students into
careers as software developers in just one year, hugely
accelerating gender and racial equity in the tech industry. So far,
we have graduated 700 new programmers from our Seattle and digital campuses, and now we are
expanding! Ada just opened a campus in Atlanta, thanks in part to Cognizant's
support."
Blind Institute of Technology — Mike
Hess, Executive Director: "Blind Institute of Technology
(BIT) assists the hardest-to-serve communities with our fully
remote and fully accessible programs. BIT is serving the blind,
deaf, neurodiverse, and other people with disabilities to
participate in equitable opportunities to further their futures in
the workplace. With Cognizant's support, BIT can reach so many more
individuals!"
Code.org — Hadi Partovi,
CEO: "In today's world, it is essential that all students have
the opportunity to learn computer science. Cognizant's support will
help enable our work to make computer science a fundamental part of
the K-12 education system and ultimately increase access and
participation for young women and students traditionally
underrepresented in the technology fields."
Dalhousie University — Dr.
Andrew Rau-Chaplin, Dean, Faculty of
Computer Science: "Dalhousie
University is excited to partner with Cognizant. As a civic
university, Dalhousie strongly shares the belief that those who
create and influence our digital world should be representative of
the whole of society. This investment will enable us to build on
the work we have done through our WeAreAllCS diversity initiative
to improve access to technology education and opportunities for
those who have historically been underrepresented in the field.
Through this partnership we will also be expanding our innovation
and entrepreneurship programming, better connecting our students
with industry, and the growing digital ecosystem."
DonorsChoose — Alix Guerrier,
CEO: "Cognizant is fostering a love for tech and computer
science among public school students, by providing their teachers
with the resources they need. Through their partnership with
DonorsChoose, Cognizant is empowering future STEM leaders sitting
in U.S. classrooms today."
Girlstart — Shane Woods,
Executive Director: "Thanks to support from Cognizant,
Girlstart can provide free year-round STEM programming for 2,000+
girls in grades 4-8. Support for K-5 science has been greatly
reduced over the past few years. Girlstart provides additional
learning time outside of the school day and during the summer
designed to bridge learning gaps by exposing girls to hands-on STEM
lessons and activities. Our participants perform better on science
and mathematics tests and have an increased interest in STEM
education and careers thanks to our women in STEM guest speakers.
We are grateful to Cognizant for making our work and progress
possible!"
JA Central Ontario — Jennifer Holmes
Weier, President and CEO: "JA Central Ontario is proud
to renew our partnership with Cognizant. Here at JA Central
Ontario, we envision a world in which young people have the
skillset and mindset to build thriving communities. This vision is
strongly aligned with Cognizant's aim of creating a world where all
communities can participate in and benefit from the digital
economy. We're looking forward to continuing our work together to
inspire and prepare young people across Central Ontario as they look ahead to the
future."
Marcy Lab School —
Reuben Ogbonna, Executive
Director: "We are thrilled to be supported by our partners at
Cognizant who share our mission of building equitable pathways to
high-paying tech careers for underrepresented young adults. As tech
sector jobs continue to be an engine for economic mobility in
New York City, we see
disproportionate numbers of Black and Latinx individuals locked out
of these opportunities early in their careers. With Cognizant's
generous support, we will be able to increasingly impact these
numbers, graduating classes that are nearly 100% students of color
and ensuring they are placed in competitive tech roles, thereby
radically diversifying the tech landscape and creating generational
wealth for our students and their families."
NCWIT — Terry Hogan, President
and Chief Technology Officer: "Professional school counselors
play a central role in encouraging girls, women, and other
underrepresented groups to pursue computing. Through their
interactions with students, educators, parents, and guardians,
counselors are in a unique position to enact change. But research
shows, they face barriers when it comes to advising about computing
education and careers. NCWIT's Counselors for Computing program
equips counselors with tools that help students see themselves in
computing. Counselors are a key lever on the path to a more
inclusive tech industry, and Cognizant is helping NCWIT reach more
counselors in more locations."
Road to Hire — Kacey Grantham,
CEO: "Road to Hire is grateful for Cognizant's continued
commitment to supporting young adults on the path to high-growth,
high-earning careers. Due to this collaboration, Road to Hire's
reach will expand this year to more than 1,600 young adults of
color underrepresented in tech. This work could not be done without
excellent partners such as Cognizant."
Turing School of Software and Design — Jeff Casimir, Executive Director: "Turing's
mission is to unlock human potential by training a diverse and
inclusive student body to succeed in high-fulfillment technical
careers. Since our founding in 2014, Turing has helped over 1,800
people navigate the path to thriving tech careers. With support
from Cognizant, we've been able to increase outreach efforts to
recruit larger numbers of women, veterans, and BIPOC students.
We've implemented new programs and coaching systems that have
driven the graduation rate above 85%, time-to-hire under 60 days,
and average starting salaries above $85,000. Our community thanks you!"
University of Montana —
Seth Bodnar,
President: "Sitting in the aboriginal territories of the
Salish and Kalispel people, the University of
Montana has long supported Native American access and
success in higher education. We are grateful to Cognizant for its
generosity and partnership in helping foster inclusive prosperity
in Montana. Its support for the MT
AIMS and Indigenous First Year Experience programs will help build
pathways to higher education and meaningful careers for
Montana's Native American
students."
University of Toronto —
Chris Yip, Dean, Faculty of Applied
Science & Engineering: "This continuing partnership
will help U of T Engineering to strengthen and grow programs that
inspire and empower the next generation of engineering leaders —
especially young women, Black students, and others who are
underrepresented in the profession today. As engineers, we do our
best work when we have diverse voices around the design table. We
are proud to partner with Cognizant to lead the kind of change that
will build a brighter future for us all."
Work Shift — Elyse Ashburn,
Co-founder and Editor: "The way Americans work and learn
is shifting dramatically, and we have a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to ensure that those changes expand economic
opportunity for people who have traditionally been left behind.
Cognizant recognizes that independent journalism like what we do at
Work Shift will play a critical role. We can't improve our systems
of education and work without an honest accounting of what's
working, what isn't, and what might."
About Cognizant
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers
modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology,
reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay
ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving
everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.
For more information, contact:
Kyle Gunnels
kyle.gunnels@cognizant.com
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