“Geek 2 Chic events transform young, successful science and technology professionals from big brands, startup companies, government and academia into fashion models for one night.”

– Geek 2 Chic producer Mark Drapeau, Director of Innovation Social at Microsoft Corp.

Geek 2 Chic is a national charity fashion show produced by Mark Drapeau of Microsoft in partnership with Bloomingdale's. The event series raises funds for the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a national nonprofit that provides programs that inspire young people from low-income communities to stay in school, recognize business opportunities and plan for successful futures.

NFTE is one of our national nonprofit partners, and one of many that we’ve partnered up with for Microsoft YouthSpark, our three-year commitment to bring opportunity to 300 million young people through education, employment and entrepreneurship.

To support NFTE and YouthSpark, we’ve brought Geek 2 Chic to San Francisco for a one-of-a-kind event that will bring some of Silicon Valley’s powerhouse companies together for a good cause. We’ll be providing professional makeovers for 28 participating “geeks,” and then hosting a fashion show at Bloomingdale’s San Francisco. 100% of the proceeds raised by this event will benefit NFTE’s Bay Area office.

Leading up to the event, our Microsoft Silicon Valley team was able to interview three of our models:

· Sarah Ware, CEO of Markerly

· Christina Gagnier, a partner, IP, Internet, and tech lawyer

· Ivannia De Alba, Financial Analyst for Facebook

We chatted with these tech industry women about their life, career, and personal goals. Check out their responses below, and join us to watch the models strut their stuff on Wednesday, May 15^th in Bloomingdale’s Westfield San Francisco Centre from 6-9pm. More details, including registration information available here.

Not able to attend the event in person? We’ll also be covering all key activities (and fashions) live on Twitter with @MicrosoftSV and the hashtag #Geek2Chic.

Sarah Ware, CEO of Markerly

Are you involved with any nonprofits in the SF/SV area?

Sarah: I am new to the area, and I’m just starting to participate with Big Brothers Big Sisters. As an entrepreneur, we understand what it means to take charge of our own destiny, and that's a really powerful message to send to young people.

Christina Gagnier, a partner, IP, Internet, and tech lawyer

Christina: I am on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit Without My Consent, which works to aid and educate those who are victimized online. I believe the work they do is important for victims who oftentimes just need to be empowered to seek justice. Though the Internet and social media are so valuable for inspiration, communication and creativity, these tools are sometimes used in ways that exploit individuals, like women. We need to make sure there is accountability in place.

Ivannia De Alba, Facebook

Ivannia: I have been involved with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) for over 10 years, and it has been an amazing experience. I have seen firsthand how it changes lives through education and empowerment. NFTE empowers students to take control of their futures by providing them the tools to understand and navigate the world around them through an entrepreneurial lens.

What is one piece of advice you would give to a graduating high school senior who wants to make a difference in his or her community?

Sarah: There are so many ways to make a difference in other people's lives, so pick one that you feel most passionate about. You can volunteer with a sports camp, a computer camp, the elderly, infants, animals, the homeless...you have choices. What inspires you?

Christina: I would share my favorite quote by Percy Ross: "A clever, imaginative humorous request opens closed doors and closed minds."

Ivannia: My advice can be encapsulated in three key statements: Be passionate, be bold and be fearless. If you want to make a difference, you already have the passion. Now, own it! Go on and be bold – feel empowered to make it happen. You are a representative for your community, and now is your chance to change the world around you. That can be your legacy. Start with what you know, create a plan, and rally people around your cause. Be empowered to have a voice, represent your community, and share your story. It’s more powerful that you think.

Microsoft YouthSpark will create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world over the next three years. Where do you think the biggest gaps exist that we need to be focused on for the next generation of leaders?

Sarah:  I'd like to see more bridging of online education with real-world community building and experiments for students in schools that are getting by with the bare necessities. For example, maybe a local community would greatly benefit from the use of solar panels. If supplies are donated, teenagers could help install the panels while learning about energy. Experts in the field could volunteer their time to help educate and answer questions for the students during their project.

Christina: There is a fundamental misunderstanding about how "hi tech" and "savvy" kids today are with technology. Many kids still do not have access to technology in the ways that we may believe they do. They may also lack basic skills, like word processing. We have to make sure all kids have the skill set to participate in our information economy. We have to stop assuming "all kids" are the same in this regard.

How would you define your personal style?

Sarah: I have a very relaxed and conservative style. I'm not sure which bucket I fit into!

Christina: My personality is not girly, but my style certainly is. There is a lot of pink, dresses and high heels. Toss in fun rings and bracelets. Fashion is a fun way to express yourself, even for lawyers.

Ivannia: Classic and chic.

On May 15th, 28 outstanding young techies will strut the catwalk at Geek 2 Chic, and a full model list is available here. 100% of ticket sales go directly to NFTE, and just $35 will get you in for general admission. Tickets are limited, so be sure to register soon! You can also upgrade to an $85 VIP ticket for event seating along the catwalk, guaranteed access to an exclusive after party, and a VIP swag bag with goodies from Microsoft, Square, and more.

Hope to see you there! And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @MicrosoftSV and watch the hashtag #Geek2Chic for live updates during the evening.

By: Molly Bull, Senior Communications Manager, Microsoft Disaster Response

Supporting humanitarian relief and disaster response efforts is core to our commitment to develop technology solutions, tools, and practices that can foster social and economic change. That’s why we want to make it easier for you to know about the latest tools and resources to help you be prepared should a natural disaster strike.

Starting today, you can now tune in to watch video interviews where we sit down with experts from Microsoft’s Disaster Response Program to get updates on what the company is doing to connect communities and enable responders at time of need. Every few months we will post a new video with topics that will help familiarize you with the program, and ways technology can help you prepare for and respond to natural disasters.

In our first video, we sat down with Harmony Mabrey, who manages operations and the partner alliance program on Microsoft’s Disaster Response team, to learn about the innovative work her team is doing to help provide software solutions to people who have been impacted by a natural disaster. For example, her team focuses on how Microsoft technology can be applied to help citizens reconnect with loved ones, help responders communicate and coordinate, and help businesses get back up and running.

One of the tools showcased is Microsoft’s mobile phone app HelpBridge, which launched earlier this year. Available on Windows Phone, Android and iOS devices, HelpBridge makes it easy to connect with friends and family during a natural disaster and enables you to give time, money and resources to support relief and rebuilding efforts by connecting users with 25 of the world’s leading disaster relief organizations. Drop by Microsoft.com/disasterresponse to learn more and let us know what you’d like to see featured in upcoming segments by commenting on the latest video or tweeting at @msftresponse.

Molly Bull is Senior Communications Manager for the Microsoft Disaster Response program. Bull works with non-profits, governments, and non-governmental organizations, as well as customers and partners, to support disaster preparedness and response efforts.

By Gerald Chertavian, CEO of Year Up

Jessica Vides had a common story. A few years ago, she dropped out of high school – not because of laziness or lack of ambition, but because her family was going through a crisis and, though still a teenager herself, she needed to help take care of her sister’s children. In time, she was an unemployed high school dropout, with few career prospects and responsibilities that hadn’t gone away.

That’s when Jessica’s story changed direction. She enrolled in and completed a GED program, and a counselor there encouraged her to apply to Year Up Puget Sound. She spent her first weeks with us learning how to use Microsoft Office, before acquiring a comprehensive background in IT, while also gaining competencies in how to dress for, communicate in, and navigate through a corporate environment. After six months of intensive training, she embarked on a six month internship with DreamBox Learning, where her intelligence and motivation were on full display. Following her internship, she was hired as a Client Care Specialist. She’s still there today, actively contributing to DreamBox’s bottom line and its mission to close the Achievement Gap in America’s schools.

The 21^st century workforce has arrived, and contrary to public perception, the most talented workers often have stories like Jessica’s. Most young Americans are trying to navigate school and work while shouldering responsibilities at home, but are faced with the worst employment prospects on record for young adults and shockingly low community college completion rates. They’re smart, motivated, and perseverant; all they need is an opportunity to learn marketable skills and then prove themselves in the workplace. Most employers and policymakers, though, don’t know just how much they’re capable of achieving.

That’s what today’s Walk for Opportunity is all about. In eight of Year Up’s cities, 2,000 students, staff and supporters are walking, rallying, advocating – and in Puget Sound, flash mobbing – to call the public’s attention to the talent that lives in our urban neighborhoods. Our alumni are continually proving that they are EPIC: Empowered, Professional, In-demand by employers, and Career-ready. 84% of Year Up’s alumni are employed or in college full-time within four months of graduation, and those who are working earn an average of $15/hour (about $30,000/year for salaried employees). Those students on the street today are not looking for pity or charity. Quite literally, they’re looking for Opportunity, not only for themselves but for the 6.7 million young adults in this country who are out of school and out of work.

Year Up’s Seattle chapter turned their Walk for Opportunity into a flash mob at Westlake Plaza in downtown Seattle.

The Opportunity Divide that traps so many young people in poverty isn’t just hurting them. As a society, we are losing out on the collective talent of millions of people, and are paying a heavy price. Over the course of their lifetime, this cohort will cost taxpayers $1.15 trillion through expenditures and lost revenue, if we fail to reconnect them to career pathways.

Companies, too, are especially suffering from the Opportunity Divide. There were 3.9 million job openings that employers were unable to fill last month, a large proportion of which are middle-skills jobs, and they’re facing a structural shortage of millions of middle-skilled workers over the next decade. This inability to fill job openings in a time of high unemployment bodes ill for our ability to compete globally – both for companies and our economy as a whole – in the years to come.

Many of America’s leading employers are shifting their practices, and widening their lens beyond “traditional” sources of talent, to meet the challenge. In fact, more than 250 companies – firms like Microsoft, LinkedIn, and JP Morgan Chase – invest in Year Up’s students. For most of our corporate partners, this is not philanthropy; it’s a business partnership they use to meet very real needs by gaining immediate access to a steady pipeline of dedicated, skilled employees (with low turnover) for hard-to-fill jobs, as well as to increase diversity and meet a commitment to serving the community.

It’s also a long-term investment, fueled by the recognition that the next generation of skilled talent often has a story like Jessica’s – the same shift in perception that our students are rallying for today. They understand that if companies want access to the employees that will fuel our economic growth in the decades to come, they need to invest in young people and the programs that prepare them to contribute. If they want to thrive, they need to recognize talent.

By Lori Harnick, General Manager, Corporate Citizenship and Public Affairs

When it comes to social change, launching entrepreneurial ventures, and coming up with the next generation of big ideas, we know that nothing matches the creativity and passion of youth. That’s the driving force behind Microsoft YouthSpark, our company-wide commitment to create education, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for 300 million young people over three years.

Today we’re launching YouthSpark Challenge for Change, a contest for U.S. residents aged 18 to 25 who have an idea for sparking change in their communities or around the world for the chance to win* amazing prizes, including a volunteer trip to Kenya this summer and the latest Microsoft products. Entering the contest is easy. Simply answer a few questions about your social good project and how Windows and Office could help bring it to life.

Microsoft wants to help young people change the world, and because we believe all good deeds should be rewarded, everyone who enters the contest will win!

• Everyone who enters between now and May 24 will receive a $25 gift card for Give for Youth, our micro-giving portal designed to help you fund and follow social good projects for young people around the world.
• 20 Finalists will receive a Microsoft Surface with Windows RT and Office Home and Student 2013 to help create their winning video entry.
• Five Grand Prize Winners will receive:

• A life-changing, all-expenses paid volunteer trip to Kenya in August 2013
• $2,500 cash to help kick-start their ideas
• A Microsoft technology bundle including a Windows Phone 8 and Xbox 360 with Kinect
• The opportunity to serve as a YouthSpark ambassador for the year and take advantage of YouthSpark training and resources

If you’re wondering how to incorporate Windows and Office into your entry, click over to the Windows blog and Office.com for tips and tricks. And if you’re looking for inspiration for your own change-sparking project, watch Rebecca and Christina share stories about their projects, Plus Ultra and the Do Good Bus.

Enter the challenge now.

After all of the contest entries have been received, our judges will narrow the entries to 20 finalists, who will be revealed on June 17. Then the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite project once a day until June 24. We’ll announce our five grand prize winners on July 1, which will mark the end of the contest but the beginning of another journey. We’re excited to bring you the stories of our five winners and future YouthSpark Stars as they volunteer in Kenya this summer and launch their social good projects in the following months. And who knows… maybe one of them will be you.

*No purchase necessary. Entry deadline May 24, 2013. See website for full Official Rules.

By Jane Broom, Director, Citizenship and Public Affairs

Yesterday was one of those great days where I felt inspired, energized and hopeful about the future of young people in our community. I can’t help wonder where the lives of more than 800 high school students I met today at the annual Microsoft TEALS Field Trip will take them. Will that amazing kid from Rainier Beach High School– the one with the twinkle in his eye and mischievous grin – become the next Bill Gates? Will that confident, compassionate girl from Lake Washington STEM High School someday start her own gaming company that inspires thousands of girls to pursue computer science careers? Perhaps one of them will combine a love of computer science with a love of teaching and become a high school computer science teacher who sparks passion in his or her students – just like TEALS founder Kevin Wang has done?

Kevin Wang, founder of TEALS, taking the stage.

TEALS (Technology Education And Literacy in Schools) is a Microsoft YouthSpark program that brings technology professionals and curriculum to high schools, providing the students I met yesterday and many more around the country with access to high-quality computer science courses. As part of the curricula, the TEALS students come to the Microsoft campus in Redmond where they interact with professionals, hear about interesting developments in the field, and learn about local colleges, jobs and other resources, including programs at Microsoft.

Bing talking to students at the Opportunity Fair.

Computer science is what drives the technological innovation that now underpins the global economy. It is one of the fastest growing, lucrative and rewarding fields that a student can pursue. Yet, very few schools around the nation offer it as a course. For instance, of the 770 public and private high schools in the state of Washington, only 35 offer the AP course in computer science.

800 students from all over the Puget Sound area came to Microsoft for the TEALS field trip.

The scarcity of these courses has an even greater impact on students of color. Of the 542 Washington students who took the AP computer science exam last year, less than 25 were Hispanic, African-American or Native-American.

But we are on the verge of important change. The energy, diversity, curiosity and smarts that I saw in the students yesterday can’t be ignored. They will demand more and more of these high-quality, relevant opportunities. Incredible TEALS volunteers are catalyzing change inside high schools and helping to rapidly build access to these courses. They are proving that it can be done in all kinds of schools. The Washington State Legislature is doing its part, too. It recently passed legislation to make computer science count as a math or science graduation requirement.

To me, there is nothing more rewarding than supporting young people in pursuit of their potential. Yesterday’s TEALS field trip was one of those days that made us at Microsoft proud to have played a part. Watch the videos below to hear some of the students’ stories and understand why I ended the day feeling so excited and hopeful for the future.