Community Involvement Day at Patrick Henry High School

Pa, center, and PaNa, second from right, with their Genesys Works peers

Student leadership is a concept Genesys Works values and teaches its Young Professionals because the benefits of skills like working in a team, utilizing resources, presenting self-confidence, prioritizing, and making a difference for others will help them for the rest of their lives. On Friday, February 24^th, Genesys Work’s staff members were able to witness student leadership in action.

At Patrick Henry High School’s Community Involvement Day two Young Professionals were able to develop professionally, give back to their school community in North Minneapolis, and recruit for Genesys Works. PaNa Vang and Pa Lee designed a 50 minute presentation to inform underclassmen about their careers in Information Technology and some of the skills necessary for them to do their internships well.

First, they assisted with an introductory game that tested the computer knowledge of the students. In groups of 2 to 4, the participants had to design a plan to obtain all the pieces necessary to set up a computer work station. This activity gave students a chance to work on their collaboration and communication skills in a fun and interactive way.

Next, Pa and PaNa utilized presentations they gave to their College and Career Connections group.  Pa explained how she gets to destroy hardware at Hennepin County because data never really erased from a computer even if you delete it. PaNa relayed that without her, new employees at Capella University would not be able to start their jobs with all the equipment they need.

Finally, they opened up a computer so they could continue to test the computer knowledge of the students. Pa and PaNa worked together as a team to show different parts of a computer and why those parts are essential for the machine to operate.

All in all, both Young Professionals did an excellent job in the two presentations they held at Patrick Henry High School. They practiced working as a team, exhibited self-confidence, and made a difference in their school community by educating their peers about information technology careers. All of their efforts resulted in 23 Class 5 student applications from their school, the highest number from any Minneapolis school this year.