Mouse | The 4th Annual Diversity in Tech Awards presented by BNY…

May 02, 2019

The 4th Annual Diversity in Tech Awards presented by BNY Mellon gathers 300 Guests to Propel Progress Forward for the Industry

“It took me 20 years to realize that the answer to our worries about whether tech can be trusted with our future is to bring all these kids into the field.” - Anil Dash, CEO of Glitch

May 1 wraps the 4th Annual Diversity in Tech Awards, an evening that recognized and celebrated champions who are helping to change the face of tech to one that is more inclusive and representative of our shared communities.

Presented by BNY Mellon and supporting sponsors including RBC Capital, Deloitte, Best Buy, Cushman & Wakefield (see full list of sponsors below), in-kind sponsor Finn Partners, and our committed Board of Directors, 300 guests came together to celebrate at the Bowery Hotel.

The evening generated substantial revenue to directly provide young people in New York and across the country with the access and motivation to harness technology for a greater good through Mouse’s programs. We are all aware that the demand for a STEM-skilled workforce is constantly increasing and, yet, only 40% of U.S. schools offer computer science classes with programming. The support from the night will directly address this root issue to help build the pipeline for our workforce.

“I would encourage everyone to be an ally... Be a champion for this cause.” - Mark Anthony Thomas, NYC EDC

Congratulations again to Nonprofit Champion: All Star Code, Corporate Initiative Champion: Atlassian, Youth Champion: Brenda Encarnacion, Educator Champion: Betulia Lindsey-Freeman, Individual Champion: Judith Spitz, and Finance Firm Champion: Vista Equity Partners. Their contributions to the technology industry include working to bring more diversity to tech positions in their workforce, educating underserved youth in Staten Island with Mouse curriculum and advocating for representation of women in tech. We are especially proud to recognize Mouse student Brenda Encarnacion, the Valedictorian of Hudson High School of Learning Technologies Class of 2019. Brenda has also achieved several other senior awards including:

  • NYC Council Speaker’s Student Achievement Award for demonstrating outstanding academic achievement, good citizenship, and a strong commitment to community service
  • State Education Department 2019 Scholarship for Academic Excellence Award for achieving academic excellence recognized by the State Education Department University of State of New York.
  • Hudson Scholar Athlete for being an outstanding student athlete who demonstrated strong academics and conducted herself with professionalism and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Thanks, too, to the panelists who contributed to the “New Definition of Diversity Panel,” sharing that we can all be advocates for diversity within our companies, and daily lives.

Panelist Moderator
Lola Banjo
Salesforce
Panelist
Jodi Brooks
FINN Partners
Panelist
Noelle Peart
Best Buy
Panelist
Sandye Taylor
RBC Capital Markets
Panelist
Mark Thomas
NYC EDC
Panelist
Alka Vyas
Deloitte

“Diversity isn’t just about gender, it isn’t about color, it’s about people.” -- Alka Vyas, Deloitte

To see more, access photos from our Giphy Booth and photos on our Flickr Album.

A Sincere Thank You to Our 2019 Sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor

Supporting Sponsors

In-kind Sponsor

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