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Catherine Collins
Mary Esler (Agency Contact)
Posted by Shelley Stern Director, Microsoft Community Outreach
What was your favorite subject in high school? Most of our answers would likely be math, English or history. How many of us would answer game design and computer programming as our top picks? Probably not very many would even say they had the opportunity to enjoy those classes at that age. Locally, the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology (CAAT) also known as “Chi Tech” is offering courses to a fortunate group of 150 ninth graders to allow them to be on the cutting edge of technology, designing games and websites, all while using the latest software. Most students travel more than 30 minutes to attend the Chicago school, and some even commute from more than two hours away to take part in these classes. At Microsoft, we love seeing students getting involved in and inspired by technology and we are proud to support CAAT. On June 10, the students received a special visit from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Students presented their impressive projects to him and asked Steve questions about how he got started in technology and the type of student he was. Steve’s visit was a great finale to the school year, which included constant collaboration between Chi Tech students and Microsoft employees. Throughout the school year, Chicago Microsoft employees spent hundreds of volunteer hours with the students and even participated in career sessions at the school. The students were also able to spend a day in the Microsoft Technology Center downtown as part of their learning experience. Check out some of the inspiring student projects and photos from the event here. Who knows, one of these students may be the future leader of Microsoft!
What was your favorite subject in high school? Most of our answers would likely be math, English or history. How many of us would answer game design and computer programming as our top picks? Probably not very many would even say they had the opportunity to enjoy those classes at that age.
Locally, the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology (CAAT) also known as “Chi Tech” is offering courses to a fortunate group of 150 ninth graders to allow them to be on the cutting edge of technology, designing games and websites, all while using the latest software. Most students travel more than 30 minutes to attend the Chicago school, and some even commute from more than two hours away to take part in these classes. At Microsoft, we love seeing students getting involved in and inspired by technology and we are proud to support CAAT.
On June 10, the students received a special visit from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Students presented their impressive projects to him and asked Steve questions about how he got started in technology and the type of student he was. Steve’s visit was a great finale to the school year, which included constant collaboration between Chi Tech students and Microsoft employees. Throughout the school year, Chicago Microsoft employees spent hundreds of volunteer hours with the students and even participated in career sessions at the school. The students were also able to spend a day in the Microsoft Technology Center downtown as part of their learning experience.
Check out some of the inspiring student projects and photos from the event here. Who knows, one of these students may be the future leader of Microsoft!