Young Professional Lulite Zemedhin shines in trailblazing Quality Assurance Role

Lulite with NMDP supervisors Shanta Owens and Dan Williams.

In many ways, the 2010-2011 school year has been a watershed moment in the growth of Genesys Works - Twin Cities. More than 70 Young Professionals have worked this year in 30 different organizations, and by all accounts they are doing real IT for our clients: filling help desk roles, imaging and deploying computers, and managing inventory.

The most exciting thing for us to see, however, is the way a growing group of Genesys Works clients have recognized that their interns have the talent to learn and apply skill sets beyond what even we could have envisioned. For the first time ever, Young Professionals have taken on roles in project management, design, quality assurance, systems training, and even software/website development. We love to see these developments because they result in a true "win-win-win" scenario. Businesses get a fantastic resource, interns get new skills, and this mutual success helps grow the number of positions available for all Genesys Works students.

One Young Professional helping to drive the expanding list of what is possible for Genesys Works students is Lulite Zemedhin, Quality Assurance Analyst at the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Under the guidance of Dan Williams, the IT QA Manager, Lulite helps develop and implement software testing protocol for several of the NMDP databases and assets. She communicates with internal clients to develop tests for software, then helps analyze the results for quality and track defects.

The incredible opportunity provided by NMDP has also helped change Lulite's trajectory in life. Before her experience with Genesys Works, Lulite reports, "I had no idea that I could understand IT." Now, heavily influenced by the Business Analysts, Scientists, and Medical Doctors she interacts with in her internship, she is pursuing a career in bioinformatics, and wants to help develop the next generation of medical database technology. "Basically, I'll be a scientist who really understands computers."

But that's not all, says Lulite, who has worked hard to develop both her technical skills and professional demeanor. "I learned a lot about professionalism during our summer training with Genesys Works, but once I started at NMDP I had an example of adults who actually practice professionalism. Now, I carry myself better."