Blog

Apprenti Giving Gala a Success!

On May 18th, WTIA held its third annual Giving Gala to raise money to help underrepresented groups transition into the tech sector via Apprenti’s registered apprenticeship program. Approximately 350 people attended, among them were hiring partners Microsoft and F5, training providers CodeFellows and TLG, representatives from community organizations, and graduated apprentices.  Thanks to the generosity of attendees, we raised $206,000, about 23% more than in 2018, which will be used to support apprentice training costs, and a portion of proceeds will be matched by the State of Washington funding appropriation.

At the event, three apprentices–Kyle Jorgenson, Aeone Singson, and Cheyo Jimenez–shared the impact of Apprenti on their lives and hopes about what they want to achieve in the future. Each of them spoke about their desire to grow in their chosen careers and their plan to mentor other apprentices, which in Cheyo’s case includes his brother Richard, who is currently a software developer apprentice at Microsoft. Aeone said, “I had my doubts about qualifying for a position in a large global corporation like Microsoft. If it wasn’t for the Apprenti program, I wouldn’t have tried to aim so high, but I now know that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be. My future plans exceed simply having a great career in tech, I want to mentor others and show them that tech apprenticeship is a life-changing option.”

Watch the inspiring video about the impact of the program on some of our apprentices’ lives here, and thank you to all who donated. If you missed the opportunity, you can still donate here. Many thanks!

Author

  • Ellen O’Brien

    Ellen O’Brien is Apprenti’s Program Admin. Prior to working at Apprenti, she gained experience at other non-profits as well as providing administrative support in a variety of other industries. She is glad to be part of a team working to help people advance their careers. Ellen has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington Bothell. When not at work she enjoys volunteering, traveling, experimenting with new recipes, and spending time with her three cats and her husband.

    View all posts

Related Posts

Back To Top
Skip to content