BY PAUL JUNOR
Digital Agency Reason One revealed details on their website:www.reasononeinc.com/romsp about their latest program which, “Aims to improve access and financial opportunities for Black students in Ontario and South Carolina.”
This program will be of special interest to Black students who are thinking of pursuing, or have already been accepted to a college or university digital-focused program. The website notes that there are a mere 2.6 % of students in Canada’s tech industry, and
7% in the United States. Furthermore, “This lack of diversity in the industry presents a barrier in innovation and exposes the harmful effect of racial bias in technology, which negatively impacts all communities. In order to create a more equitable future in the field, we have to be active participants by providing equity to those working in our industry.”
In order to be eligible, the qualified candidate must:
- Be between the ages of 17-35 years old
- Live in Ontario, Canada or South Carolina, USA
- Be enrolled or accepted to a full or part-time digital-related program at a college, university, or specialized program (such as a Boot camp, etc.)
- Have an interest in pursuing a career in the tech industry
- Have demonstrated financial need/ support
These are what the Reason One Mentoring Scholarship Program will be offering:
- Three students a $5,000 scholarship towards application fees, textbooks, and other expenses
- One year of mentorship and professional development from Reason One team members
There are three specific things that are required from each applicant such as the following:
- Information on your background.
- Educational transcript(s)
- School and community-related activities or programs
- Honors and awards that you may have received
- Work experience
- “Your story” as a document or video
- 500 words (if written), or less, or a five-minute video
- Your story can provide an overview of your academic and/or professional background, and answer:
(i) What are your career goals?
(ii) What innovative projects have you worked on?
(iii) Why would you benefit from this program?
- Recommendations:
- At least one recommendation submitted by your reference online. You may choose a professional, academic, or character reference.
I interviewed Tiffany, CEO & Strategist of The Ford Global Group Inc. on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022. She shared with me details about her involvement in promoting the scholarship and mentoring program. She told me that they plan on equalizing the TECH field to ensure that there is diversity and representation from different communities and sectors.
It is important that students who are interested in this program submit online applications by April 11th, 2022, and the top 10 candidates will be contacted for a virtual interview.
For additional information, students can visit: www.reasononeinc.com.
