Synchrony Foundation and University of Illinois System Help Chicago Youth Access Higher Education and Tech Skills Training
As a longstanding corporate partner of the University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign, Synchrony, a leading consumer financial services company, is supporting a class of 125 local Chicago students who are gaining technology skills training as they attend the Pritzker Tech Talent Labs’ Digital Scholars program with the Discovery Partners Institute, part of the University of Illinois System. The Digital Scholars program, which kicked off on June 24, 2024, is an intensive free summer program for underrepresented high school and first-year college students to build computing skills, increase college and career-readiness, and make connections to Chicago’s dynamic tech community.
One of the beneficiaries of this initiative is Chinasa Nwosa, a recent graduate of CICS Northtown Academy in northwest Chicago, who completed the program in the Foundations of Computer Science track last summer and plans to continue the program this summer. Chinasa shared his experience, saying, “Digital Scholars has helped me build confidence coming from a high school to an extremely competitive environment at University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign. Knowing how to work in computers creates opportunity in any field of work you want. I want the flexibility to work on different problems and issues in the world, so I can help solve them.” This fall, he will attend the University’s Grainger College of Engineering as a computer engineering major.
This partnership between Synchrony and University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign highlights the importance of investing in education and supporting students at the start and throughout their academic journeys.
"Synchrony is proud of our long-standing support and partnership with University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign to create tangible pathways for Illinois high school and college students towards a more prosperous future," said Denise Yap, President, Synchrony Foundation. "As an Illinois employer, we recognize the positive impact our grants have on the talented students in this state helping to expand access to higher education and technical skills training through our Education as an Equalizer philanthropic initiative.”
As a founding partner of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s FOCUS program, which is designed to foster opportunity, community and unwavering support for underrepresented first-generation students, Synchrony helped support more than 110 students since 2021. Each semester, a group of 50 students have access to career readiness support and develop workplace skills valued by employers.
Edith Luna, an Illinois junior double majoring in marketing & information systems, completed the intensive semester-long program last year and returned this year as a student mentor. She expressed her enthusiasm, stating, “Being a part of the program last year was incredible. I didn’t have a lot of classes on campus with people who looked like me or shared my life experiences, so gathering together every Monday night was meaningful.” Edith’s favorite part of the program was the field trips off-campus and hearing from professionals and college students in the field, including a visit to Synchrony’s Emerging Technology Center (ETC) at the University’s Research Park where she met interns who shared her interest in UX, design and marketing.
The Synchrony Emerging Technology Center, which opened on campus at the University of Illinois Research Park in 2018, focuses on advancing Synchrony’s finance and technology capabilities as well as providing real-world skills for students in artificial intelligence, data science, human-centered design and other emerging technologies.
Dr. Pankaj Desai, Senior Assistant Director for Inclusion Initiatives and the Program Director for the FOCUS program shared that, "Since 2021, the FOCUS Program has assisted more than 110 FOCUS Scholars in their career development journey. This past year, the program grew from 15 students a year to 80 students with the addition of seven peer mentors and one graduate assistant to the program! Students have shared that they enjoy engaging with one another, value the experiential learning experience, and desire more networking opportunities in the future. In Spring 2024, Ron Everett, SVP of Eastern United States Servicing and Global Deposits Operations Leader at Synchrony interacted with the FOCUS Scholars and our students gained a lot from hearing about Ron's lived experience and insights as the Network Leader for Synchrony’s Black Experiences+."
Since 2020, the Synchrony Foundation has provided nearly $1.7 million in grants to empower Illinois high school and college students to achieve their full potential and pave the way for a more educated and skilled workforce across the state.