Fiona Liu and 100% of Class 3 Students are off to College!

This month we say goodbye to the Genesys Works – Twin Cities Class 3 students as they begin the next chapter of their lives in college.  They are traveling as far away as Polytechnic Institute of New York University and Payne College in Georgia or staying as close as Saint Paul College and the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.  No matter where they are headed, however, we are very proud to say that 100% of the GWTC Class of 2011 will be enrolling in college next year!

Fiona Liu is one student that is dramatically different today than when she started with Genesys Works fourteen months ago.  When she began summer training she had only been in the United States for four years, English was her second language, and she was very reserved, quiet and hesitant to speak in class.  Through her dedication and hard work during summer training, Fiona earned a job with Synergy Services last fall.

In January, she was moved to a new internship position with Accenture in downtown Minneapolis where she truly began to shine.  Expectations were high with this new job, but Fiona was ready to rise to the challenge and became an integral part of the SUS team.  In her position she had to learn new tools such as Excel and SharePoint, but she took the initiative to find online classes to develeop the skills she needed right away.   

Fiona’s team at Accenture also provided great development opportunities for Fiona from her participation at Accenture’s International Women’s Day Conference and an afternoon of golfing, to great talks with coworkers over coffee and conference calls with Accenture employees half way around the world.  Their caring, friendly and supportive personalities helped her step out of her comfort zone and gain valuable confidence to excel in her job.  In fact, Trisha Hudson, Fiona’s supervisor, shared with appreciation that Fiona “was able to step in and provide project coverage for a team member while out on maternity leave which greatly helped our team!”

Next year Fiona will be at Augsburg College studying Business Management. With the help of the Genesys Works Career and College Connection Program, she has earned the Augsburg Promise Grant, which covers full tuition at Augsburg, and the Chia Family scholarship, worth $5,000 a year, which will pay for her room and board.  She also knows that she has the team from Accenture behind her all the way; in fact, they even helped her move into her dorm room last weekend!   Fiona says, “I couldn’t imagine life without Genesys Works or Accenture, I feel like my life is moving for the better….hopefully to reach the highest!

I have no doubt that Fiona will embrace the challenges within her college experience and not only become successful with her career, but also make a positive and lasting impression on future professors, friends and co-workers that have the privilege of getting to know her.” - Trisha Hudson, Fiona’s Supervisor at Accenture SUS